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HBA1C AND IRON ANEMIA

G

gig

Member
Messages
12
Location
manchester
Type of diabetes
Type 2
Treatment type
Tablets (oral)
Hi all ive just had my annual review done and my hba1c was better than i was expecting ,going off self blood results.the next day i saw the gp and was told that i am iron anemic and going lower every year. when i got home i thought if there is less red blood cells going around the body would the hba1c be a false record of what is going on ? anyone else had these thoughts or had similar happen to them thanks.
 
thanks for your answer my hba1c was 54 exactlythe same as 12 months ago which is the old 7.1%. but on home testing im not getting readings under 7.9mmol and i use to get 4s and 5s and i mainly get over 10s and my morning readings are between 10 and 13 every day no matter what i have eaten carbs or no carbs. so i really was expecting an higher hba1c. it just puzzles me and my usuall go is away until mid may thanks for repling.
 
Anaemia does affect HbA1c . The effect depends on the type of anaemia
A Dynamed summary on diabetes mellitus type 2 states that conditions affecting red blood cell lifespan may alter HbA1c levels [3]. HbA1c is decreased (falsely low) with conditions that shorten red blood cell lifespan such as acute or chronic blood loss, haemolysis, sickle cell anaemia, thalassaemias and hereditary spherocytosis [3]. However, HbA1c is increased with conditions that increase red blood cell lifespan such as iron deficiency anaemia, vitamin B12 deficiency, folate deficiency anaemia or splenectomy [3
Click to expand...

http://www.knowledge.scot.nhs.uk/clear/ ... sease.aspx
 
Hi all,

I just had the same! I got my hba1c was higher that what it actually is.

Have you been put in iron tablets? & if so how are you coping with them? I was ill with my first lot but have been out on some different ones, but my bs has been higher, seemingly since I started taking them? Just wondering if you've experienced anything similar?


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On diagnosis I had a HbA1c of 7.7% or 61 mmol/mol. I believe from thinking about what my diet was like at the time it should have been much higher. At the time I had heavy bleeding caused by a uterine fibroid and was told I was anaemic and put on iron tablets.

So it seems by Phoenix's post I had the first type of anaemia which would have lowered my HbA1c.
 
hI GIG,
i HAVE PERNCIOUS ANEMIA AND HAVE b12 INJECTIONS EVERY 12 WEEKS.I ALSO ASKED MY DSN IF MY BLOODS RESULTS WOULD DIFFER,TO BE TOLD NO THEY DO NOT AFFECT THE READINGS :D JUST AN OPINION
 
I also checked with my doctor if the B12 that I take would affect the HBA1C result and she said no.
 
My A1c was significantly lower during a time when I was very low in ferritin due to bleeding gastritis. I had a series of injections and afterwards my A1c went up again. I was mystified by the very low reading at the time because it was so much lower than my meter readings were giving me.
 
Actually my statement above need some tinkering.

I asked my doctor if B12 supplements affected my A1c results because I have read on just a couple of internet sites that a deficiency of B12 will lower A1c testings numbers and taking supplements will rise it. However, I have been unable to find anything that says by how much. It's got me concerned because my A1c was 5.6 and I take B12 supplements, though haven't taken any in the last couple of weeks. Also, my B12 was over the normal limit.

Does anyone know more about this subject? Or can direct me to a reliable sourced.

My GP said that taking B12 wouldn't raise my numbers.
 
I think she was right, I
Everything I can find suggests that a B12 deficiency falsely raises HbA1c. Treatment lowers it
.Patients with anemia due to deficiency of iron and vitamin B12 have high HbA1c levels. This can be reversed with administration of the deficient factor. In some cases, administration of iron and vitamin B12 can lead to falsely lowered HbA1c due to the preponderance of young erythrocytes in the circulation.[20]
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3401751/?report=reader#ref20
Click to expand...
NB I don't think when they talk about administration of B12 falsely lowering HbA1c they are talking about over the counter supplements either. The reference is to very specific cases when high amounts have to be administered.

You can find exactly the same info in table annex 1 here
http://www.who.int/diabetes/publications/report-hba1c_2011.pdf
 
Thanks Phonenix.

Though my B12 is high, it's mainly through B12 injections over the years every few months. Being not a one-off thing it makes sense that it would not have any (or very little) impact on my HbA1c levels.

The last injection I had was in early April of this year and no more a planned for some time.
 
Last edited by a moderator:
phoenix said:
I think she was right, I
Everything I can find suggests that a B12 deficiency falsely raises HbA1c. Treatment lowers it

NB I don't think when they talk about administration of B12 falsely lowering HbA1c they are talking about over the counter supplements either. The reference is to very specific cases when high amounts have to be administered.

You can find exactly the same info in table annex 1 here
http://www.who.int/diabetes/publications/report-hba1c_2011.pdf
Click to expand...


Phoenix,

Do you think taking B12 lowers ones HbA1c more then is should?

Or just takes the HbA1c back to it's normal level?

I can't find anything on the web in relation to research on this.
 
There is only one study that I found and that's so old that the full paper is not on the internet (1990), http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/2299304
If your HbA1c is roughly in accord with your testing then I really wouldn't worry too much about it.
I think that the biggest concern is when HbA1c is used for diagnosis, rather than fasting glucose levels which were used until recently ( These won't be affected by this problem, if they are high then they are high)
People with anaemia may be diagnosed when they are not in fact diabetic . This could lead to precious resources spent in the wrong place. ( in some developing countries the incidence of iron deficiency anaemia is high as is the incidence of diabetes . Treating someone for diabetes when they have anaemia would be counterproductive)
 
Thanks Phoenix.

My overnight fasting was 5.

However, the fast lasted 16 hours and I didn't eat a great deal the day before. Just had chicken and vegtable soup the night before.

Though everyone tells me that wouldn't have any major affect on my overnight fasting levels, and if anything may increase them.
 
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