Evaluation of agreement between hemoglobin A1c, fasting glucose, and fructosamine in Senegalese individuals with and without sickle-cell trait

Prevalence of haemoglobin A1c based dysglycaemia among adult community dwellers in selected states in Nigeria: a descriptive cross-sectional study

Background

Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a disease of public health importance globally with an increasing burden of undiagnosed pre-diabetes and diabetes in low- and middle-income countries, Nigeria in particular. Pre-diabetes and diabetes are established risk factors for cardiovascular complications. However, data are scanty on the current prevalence of these conditions in Nigeria, based on haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) diagnosis as recommended by the WHO in 2009. We aimed to determine the prevalence of pre-diabetes, diabetes, and undiagnosed diabetes among the adult population of Nigeria using HbA1c.

Methodology

A cross-sectional, multi-site population study was carried out in selected states in Nigeria (namely, Ekiti, Lagos, Osun, Oyo, and Kwara states) involving 2,708 adults (≥18 years) in rural and urban community dwellers, without prior diagnosis of pre-diabetes or diabetes. Participants with ongoing acute or debilitating illnesses were excluded. Data were collected using an interviewer-administered pretested, semi-structured questionnaire. Socio-demographic, clinical (weight, height, blood pressure, etc.), and laboratory characteristics of participants including HbA1c were obtained. Data were analysed using STATA version 16.

Results

The mean age of participants was 48.1 ± 15.8 years, and 65.5% were female. The overall prevalence of pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes was 40.5% and 10.7%, respectively, while the prevalence of high blood pressure was 36.7%. The prevalence of pre-diabetes was the highest in Lagos (48.1%) and the lowest in Ekiti (36.7%), while the prevalence of diabetes was the highest in Kwara (14.2%) and the lowest in Ekiti (10%). There was a significant association between age of the participants (p< 0.001), gender (p = 0.009), educational status (p = 0.008), occupation (p< 0.001), tribe (p = 0.004), marital status (p< 0.001), blood pressure (p< 0.001), and their diabetic or pre-diabetic status. Independent predictors of diabetes and pre-diabetes include excess weight gain, sedentary living, and ageing. Participants within the age group 45-54 years had the highest total prevalence (26.6%) of pre-diabetes and diabetes.

Conclusion

Over half of the respondents had pre-diabetes and diabetes, with a high prevalence of undiagnosed diabetes. A nationwide screening campaign will promote early detection of pre-diabetes and undiagnosed diabetes among adult Nigerians. Health education campaigns could be an effective tool in community settings to improve knowledge of the risk factors for diabetes to reduce the prevalence of dysglycaemia.

The Importance of Fructosamine for Monitoring the Compensation and Effectiveness of Diabetes Treatment

BACKGROUND

The use of fructosamine to assess the glycemic control represents a new step in diagnostics, and it has been accompanied by the active scientific discussion in recent years. That is why the purpose of this work is to study the average level of fructosamine in apparently healthy individuals and individuals with diabetes mellitus (DM), as well as the possibility to use it when evaluating the effectiveness of inpatient treatment of patients with hyperglycemia on the seven to ten days of hospitalization.

METHODS

This research work was carried out in Alma-Ata, Republic of Kazakhstan, based on the endocrinology department in the period from 2020 to 2022. The work consists of a retrospective analysis of previously examined patients and a prospective stage. The statistical evaluation was carried out with the calculation of reliability coefficient, confidence interval, and criteria for testing for normality. The level of fructosamine in healthy individuals in the corresponding region was analyzed in this article for the first time, and the correlation between this indicator and the level of glycated hemoglobin was found.

RESULTS

The effectiveness of treatment of the Type 2 DM (according to the treatment protocol) has also been studied in stationary conditions for the seven to ten days, which makes it possible to judge the effectiveness of the prescribed therapy.

CONCLUSIONS

These results will allow identifying the irrationality of the prescribed therapy at an early stage, which is especially important for the correct management of patients with this pathology, and minimizing the possible complications.

Sudden Death in Diabetic Ketoacidosis Complicated by Sickle Cell Trait

ABSTRACT

In a sudden death investigation of a service member with sickle cell trait (SCT), evidence of sickle cell crisis further complicated by coexisting, undiagnosed diabetic ketoacidosis called into question the synergistic effects of diabetic ketoacidosis on red blood cell sickling. Sickle cell trait affects more than 4 million people in the United States (US) with the highest prevalence in non-Hispanic Blacks (7%-9%; Mil Med 2017;182(3):e1819-e1824). The heterozygous state of sickled hemoglobin was previously considered a benign condition causing sickling during hypoxic, high-stress conditions such as exercise and high altitude ( Am Assoc Clin Chem 2017). However, research within the last decade shows evidence of sudden death among SCT patients ( J Forensic Sci 2011;56(5):1352-1360). It has been shown that the presence of sickled hemoglobin artificially lowers levels of hemoglobin A1c making it a less effective biomarker for red blood cell glycosylation over time in sickle cell patients ( JAMA 2017;317(5):507-515). The limited scope of medical understanding of the effects of SCT in combination with other comorbidities requires further investigation and better diagnostic criteria. The uniqueness of the US Military and its screening program for sickle cell disease (SCD) and SCT allows for more detection. Since May 2006, newborn screening for SCD/SCT has been a national requirement; however, anyone older than 14 years may not know their SCD/SCT status ( Semin Perinatol 2010;34(2):134-44). The previous absence of such national screening makes it more challenging to identify SCT and SCD patients even within high-risk populations. Furthermore, patients may not know or understand the results of their SCD/SCT status testing. International standards for the autopsy of decedents with SCD and SCT exist ( R Coll Pathol 2017). Within the US, testing of vitreous electrolytes is a common practice in suspected natural death cases, but a review of the US literature did not demonstrate any autopsy standards or recommendations for persons with SCT or high-risk persons for sickling pathologies. The identification of a new diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus, as the cause of death, is not uncommon; however, this case indicates that type 2 diabetes mellitus was not the sole contributing factor. It further illustrates that the US may be underestimating the impact of SCD and SCT as a cause of death, a contributing factor to death, and its synergistic effects with other pathologic processes. We propose a stringent literature review in conjunction with a review of international autopsy standards to develop national autopsy standards and possible SCT/SCD screening recommendations for high-risk persons at the time of autopsy.

Pembrolizumab-Induced Type 1 Diabetes in a 95-Year-Old Veteran With Metastatic Melanoma

Low C-peptide levels should prompt a high suspicion for immune checkpoint inhibitor-induced type 1 diabetes, and initiation of insulin therapy should be strongly considered.

Serum fructosamine and glycemic status in the presence of the sickle cell mutation

AIMS

The glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test can be unreliable in the presence of hemoglobinopathies. The co-existence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) with sickle cell anemia calls for alternative tests. Therefore, we established a reference interval for serum fructosamine and evaluated its utility as a potential glycemic biomarker that is not affected by abnormal hemoglobin.

METHODS

The accuracies of serum fructosamine in monitoring and diagnosing T2D were evaluated using the Area under the Receiver Operating Characteristics and other measures in 618 Nigerians with or without sickle cell trait. The estimated diagnostic cut-off for serum fructosamine was then validated in an independent multi-ethnic cohort of 634 West Africans.

RESULTS

Serum fructosamine was similar between individuals with or without sickle cell trait (median: 287 vs 275 umol/L, p = 0·11, respectively) despite statistically different HbA1c. Fructosamine was highly correlated with both HbA1c and fasting glucose independently of sickle cell trait. The areas under the curve (AUC) of serum fructosamine in identifying individuals with uncontrolled glycemia and individuals with T2D were similar and independent of sickle cell trait: 0·92 (95% confidence interval [95% CI ], 0·88-0·95 and 0.92 (95% CI, (0.89-0.95) respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Serum fructosamine is a good alternative to HbA1c for monitoring and diagnosing T2D in the presence of sickle cell trait.

Chronic Disease Management in Sickle Cell Trait Patients in the Primary Care Setting: A Case Report

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a heterogeneous group of inherited hemoglobinopathies associated with mutations in the beta subunit of the hemoglobin protein. Several case reports and scientific reviews of the current literature have been published that indicate individuals having a single copy of the mutant sickle cell allele, known as sickle cell trait (SCT), can experience the same functional asplenia and increased risk of cerebrovascular accidents, kidney disease, cardiovascular effects, and veno-occlusive diseases as SCD patients when they are exposed to extreme conditions and stressful environments such as high-altitude, deep-sea diving, and intense physical activity. SCT also impacts the management of chronic illnesses such as diabetes mellitus. Here, we report a patient presenting for primary care follow-up after an SCT-related splenic infarction in order to emphasize the unique impact of SCT on long-term care and preventive medicine in the primary care setting.

The Sickle Effect: The Silent Titan Affecting Glycated Hemoglobin Reliability

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a popular invaluable tool in the diagnosis of Type 2 diabetes for red blood cells (RBCs) with a lifespan of 120 days; however, many factors, including hemoglobinopathies, affect its accuracy. Sickle cell trait, primarily a benign medical condition, is a point mutation in only one of two beta-globin genes on chromosome 11. We performed a traditional review to identify how the sickle cell trait (SCT) affects the interpretation of HbA1c and the further implications it may have on the diagnosis and management of Type 2 diabetes. A literature search was performed using PubMed®/MEDLINE® and Google Scholar with formulated keywords (sickle cell trait, HbAS, HbA1c, glycosylated hemoglobin, diabetes, RBC lifespan, race, and genetics), with the majority of results being mainly observational studies. The National Glycohemoglobin Standardization Program (NGSP) is responsible for standardizing HbA1c results and also highlights factors that can interfere with HbA1c, including hemoglobin variants. Studies that utilize only an NGSP-certified method with no clinically significant interference by HbS in patients with and without SCT showed contrasting results. Additional studies showed that persons of African ancestry, the group to which the majority of SCT patients belong, have a higher HbA1c than non-Hispanic whites (NHWs), just based on race, and a greater probability of having glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, which lowers HbA1c. The most extensive study investigating the RBC lifespan in SCT patients showed a reduction in the cell lifespan compared to normal patients; however, other smaller studies were contradictory. Our study highlights the need for hemoglobinopathy detection before or during HbA1c measurement in populations with a high degree of African ancestry and the importance of patient notification. It also shows that SCT affects the accuracy of HbA1c, through its likely reduction of RBC lifespan and its increased association with African ancestry and G6PD deficiency. This review recommends that for SCT patients with potential Type 2 diabetes, HbA1c should be used in combination with another diagnostic tool such as fasting blood glucose, fructosamine, or glycated albumin to decrease the chances of a missed diagnosis.

Prevention of cardiovascular disease among people living with HIV in sub-Saharan Africa

As longevity has increased for people living with HIV (PLWH) in the United States and Europe, there has been a concomitant increase in the prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and morbidity in this population. Whereas the availability of HIV antiretroviral therapy has resulted in dramatic increases in life expectancy in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), where over two thirds of PLWH reside, if and how these trends impact the epidemiology of CVD is less clear. In this review, we describe the current state of the science on how both HIV and its treatment impact CVD risk factors and outcomes among PLWH in sub-Saharan Africa, including regional factors (unique to SSA) likely to differentiate these relationships from the global North. We then outline how current regional guidelines address CVD prevention among PLWH and which clinical and structural interventions are best poised to confront the co-epidemics of HIV and CVD in the region. We conclude with a discussion of key research gaps that need to be addressed to optimally develop an actionable public health response.

A1C Underperforms as a Diagnostic Test in Africans Even in the Absence of Nutritional Deficiencies, Anemia and Hemoglobinopathies: Insight From the Africans in America Study

Introduction: To improve detection of undiagnosed diabetes in Africa, there is movement to replace the OGTT with A1C. The performance of A1C in the absence of hemoglobin-related micronutrient deficiencies, anemia and heterozygous hemoglobinopathies is unknown. Therefore, we determined in 441 African-born blacks living in America [male: 65% (281/441), age: 38 ± 10 y (mean ± SD), BMI: 27.5 ± 4.4 kg/m²] (1) nutritional and hematologic profiles and (2) glucose tolerance categorization by OGTT and A1C. Methods: Hematologic and nutritional status were assessed. Hemoglobin <11 g/dL occurred in 3% (11/441) of patients and led to exclusion. A1C and OGTT were performed in the remaining 430 participants. ADA thresholds for A1C and OGTT were used. Diagnosis by A1C required meeting either A1C-alone or A1C&OGTT criteria. Diagnosis by OGTT-alone required detection by OGTT and not A1C. Results: Hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume and red blood cell distribution width were 14.0 ± 1.3 g/dL, 85.5 ± 5.3 fL, and 13.2 ± 1.2% respectively. B12, folate, and iron deficiency occurred in 1% (5/430), 0% (0/430), and 4% (12/310), respectively. Heterozygous hemoglobinopathy prevalence was 18% (78/430). Overall, diabetes prevalence was 7% (32/430). A1C detected diabetes in 32% (10/32) but OGTT-alone detected 68% (22/32). Overall prediabetes prevalence was 41% (178/430). A1C detected 57% (102/178) but OGTT-alone identified 43% (76/178). After excluding individuals with heterozygous hemoglobinopathies, the rate of missed diagnosis by A1C of abnormal glucose tolerance did not change (OR: 0.99, 95% CI: 0.61, 1.62). Conclusions: In nutritionally replete Africans without anemia or heterozygous hemoglobinopathy, if only A1C is used, ~60% with diabetes and ~40% with prediabetes would be undiagnosed. Clinical Trial Registration:: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, Identifier: NCT00001853.