Usefulness of glycated albumin as an indicator of glycemic control status in patients with hemolytic anemia.

BACKGROUND

In patients with hemolytic anemia (HA), glycated hemoglobin (HbA(1C)) presents lower values in relation to glycemia because the lifespan of erythrocytes is shortened, whereas glycated albumin (GA) is not affected. In the present study, we examined the usefulness of GA as an indicator of glycemic control status in patients with HA.

METHODS

We enrolled 21 patients with HA. A total of 202 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) without complications were used as controls.

RESULTS

We identified a significant correlation between GA and HbA(1C) in the patients with HA. However, in a comparison between the patients with HA and those with T2DM, the regression line showed a leftward shift in the former group. There was a significant positive correlation between hemoglobin (Hb) and HbA(1C) in the patients with HA (R=0.541, p=0.025), although there was no significant correlation between Hb and GA. There was an inverse correlation between Hb levels and GA/HbA(1C) ratio (R=-0.710, p=0.001). The measured HbA(1C) levels were lower than the HbA(1C) levels estimated from mean plasma glucose levels, whereas the GA/3 levels were close to the estimated HbA(1C) levels.

CONCLUSIONS

GA is a useful indicator of glycemic control status in patients with HA.