Serum Ferritin, Iron Deficiency Anaemia and Haemoglobin A1c in Non-diabetic Pregnant Women

Introduction: The association between Iron Deficiency Anaemia (IDA) and Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels is not yet fully investigated. It is suggested that iron-deficiency anaemia may increase concentrations of HbA1c during pregnancy. Aim: To assess the association between serum ferritin (S-ferritin IDA and HbA1c among non-diabetic pregnant women. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out at Saad Abuelela hospital (Khartoum) during the period from February 2017 to August 2017. Data were gathered using a questionnaire. A 75-gram oral glucose tolerance test was performed. HbA1c and S-ferritin were measured. t-test, Mann-Whitney U test and linear regression were performed. Results: One hundred and fifty-four non-diabetic pregnant women were enrolled. The mean (SD) of age, parity and gestational age were 27.8 (4.7) years, 0.9 (1.0) and 26.8 (1.0) weeks, respectively. The median (interquartile) of HbA1c and S-ferritin were 4.4 (3.8-5.0)% and 20.7 (10.1-35.7) mu g/L respectively. Of the 154 women, 103 (66.9%) had anaemia, 56 (36.4%) had iron deficiency (ID) and 38 (24.7%) had IDA. There was no significant difference in the level of HbA1c (4.4 (3.65.2)% vs. 4.4 (3.9-4.9)%, p=0.726) between women with IDA and women with no IDA. Likewise, there was no significant difference in the median (interquartile) of HbA1c level in anaemic women (4.5 (4.0-5.0)% vs. 4.4 (3.8-5.1)%, p=0.496}, ID (4.4(3.9-5.0)% 4.4 (3.8-4.9)%, p=0.562) compared with non-anaemic women. There was no association between haemoglobin, S-ferritin, IDA and log of HbA1c in linear regression. Conclusion: This study found no association between IDA and HbA1c in non-diabetic Sudanese pregnant women.