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Anemia/Iron Deficiency And The Effect On Hba1c Results

  • Thread starter Thread starter asparagusp
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asparagusp

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I don't eat red meat and not that many green vegetables so wonder if perhaps I'm lacking iron. Curiosity lead me to wondering too if that would affect Hba1c results.

With a little research it seems it can - "In patients with IDA, HbA1c decreased significantly after iron treatment from a mean of 7.4% +/- 0.8 to 6.2% +/- 0.6 (p < 0.001). Iron deficiency must be corrected before any diagnostic or therapeutic decision is made based on HbA1c." - https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15345893

Surely an iron test should always be carried out along with the other tests?
 
Well, there are some pretty well established symptoms of anaemia, so if you have any of them, you should be checking in with your doc as a first step.

tiredness, breathlessness, paleness (including nail beds)...

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=s...rome..69i57.6263j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8
Symptoms of anaemia will vary depending on the type and cause, but include:
  • Fatigue and loss of energy.
  • Unusually rapid heartbeat, particularly with exercise.
  • Shortness of breath and headache, particularly with exercise.
  • Difficulty concentrating.
  • Dizziness.
  • Pale skin.
  • Leg cramps.
  • Insomnia.
But @asparagusp there is quite a lot of iron in chocolate, so that may be helping keep your levels up!
 

There's also approximately 8mg of iron in a "Diabetone" tab. Don't you know...
 
I believe that iron and ferritin levels are elicited if the Hb level is lowered, accompanied by a hypochromic microcytic appearance of the RBC; along with clinical signs. I think only the Hb is classed as first-line routine.
I think I have read a couple of threads here recently discussing ferritin levels and iron. I find it a complex issue to comprehend.
 
I usually do have a very high iron level like 9.5 and it has been over 10. in the past... not as I have stopped eating red meat, now it is about 8.0 which is more normal to women..
Did you know that in the UK there are a much higher rate of inherited high levels of iron in the body, and those people do get diabetes much easier than normal level people do..?

and the symptoms do in some of them look to be the same as for low levels :
Symptoms, signs and diseases resulting from too much iron (iron overload):
  • chronic fatigue
  • joint pain
  • abdominal pain
  • liver disease (cirrhosis, liver cancer)
  • diabetes mellitus
  • irregular heart rhythm
  • heart attack or heart failure
  • skin color changes (bronze, ashen-gray green)
  • loss of period
  • loss of interest in sex
  • osteoarthritis
  • osteoporosis
  • hair loss
  • enlarged liver or spleen
  • impotence
  • infertility
  • hypogonadism
  • hypothyroidism
  • hypopituitarism
  • depression
  • adrenal function problems
  • early onset neurodegenerative disease
  • elevated blood sugar
  • elevated liver enzymes
  • elevated iron (serum iron, serum ferritin)
http://www.irondisorders.org/iron-overload
http://haemochromatosis.org.uk/
 
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You've already lost me Freema. Lack of concentration doesn't help! Maybe when I have some spinach later! lol
 
I had an iron test the other week. According to my lab report the standard range for serum iron is 7 to 30umol/L. Iron binding saturation 20% to 55%. Total iron binding capacity 45 to 80umol/L. All 3 of these tests necessary to determine your true iron levels.

@Freema I assume from what you said your iron level was you use different measurement units?
 

my iron/ hæmoglobin B level was in nov.9 ; 8.4mmol/liter used to be 9.7mmol/liter thats the way it is measured in Denmark...
my haemoglobin A1c was nov.9 ; 34 mmol/mol where it used to be 90 mmol/mol
 
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Did you notice a change in your Hba1c?
 
asparagusp said:
Did you notice a change in your Hba1c?
Click to expand...

As I said, I only had the test the other week (at the same time as my HbA1c). As my iron levels are perfect there is no reason to expect any changes. I asked for the test along with ferritin, folate, vit D and vit B12. This was simply for my own curiosity, not because I have any symptoms. I don't have any symptoms.
 
Needing both iron medication and B12 injections .. I now have yearly testing ..
My hba1c does not become affected .. to my knowledge
Those problems were there before I needed hba1c

My grandmother died of both low iron and B12 .... causing a heart defect and was exhausted by the symptoms..of anemia ..
Careful monitoring of how you feel all the time ..

Best wishes Kat ..
 
If you are low with iron , a few injection over two weeks , then tablets .. depending on levels ..
But if you can't breath properly, don't wait .. see a GP
Some people just make the lost red blood cells , others just can't make enough oxygen to keep the cells happy ..

These lists overlap with other problems to .. but a good guideline marker ..
 
@asparagusp, @Freema There are several genetic defects that can cause iron overload, they are grouped together as hemachromotosis. Iron overload is over storage of iron in your body.They do indeed raise the risk of developing diabetes, arthritis and liver cancer among other things.Your liver will look fatty if you have this defect. I am a composite heterozygote for hemachromotosis. That means that I inherited two different defects, I actually have three. This is one of the reasons I do not eat a lot of meat. In women this usually only causes clinical problems after menopause. My iron levels have never risen above high normal , in part because I eat a diet designed to reduce iron storage. This is also one reason I need to lose weight slowly. because excess iron is released from tissues as you lose weight if you have this condition. If you have ever donated blood they check your iron level. The treatment for excess iron storage is actually the same as donating blood-often carried out at the same place here. They simply remove some blood and this reduces your overall iron level. I do not think you have problems with this but as mentioned above a simple blood test can check it out.
 
In the UK doctors do not give iron injections any longer. If your blood tests show you need iron, you will be given tablets. Only a consultant can prescribe an iron infusion, which means hospital appointments to see a specialist nurse followed by 2 further visits to be hooked up to an IV drip which takes an hour or so to deliver the iron solution into a vein. That finally did the trick for me. I felt really dreadful beforehand, but a few weeks later I had plenty of energy again. You need iron for your body to make the red blood cells which carry oxygen. That is why if you are short of iron, your red blood cells are poor in quality and you easily run out of energy and become breathless.

If you think it needs checking for any reason, make an appointment and get it done. If it falls very low , it can take an awfully long time to correct it with tablets. I know this from experience unfortunately
 
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