MONITORING DIABETIC CONTROL BY MEASURING GLYCATED HEMOGLOBIN AND FASTING BLOOD GLUCOSE LEVELS OF DIABETIC PATIENTS ATTENDING JIMMA UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL, JIMMA, ETHIOPIA

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a complex metabolic disorder characterized by increased blood glucose level that leads to hyperglycemia, that results in glycation of a number of proteins, which contributes to diabetic complications. In poorly controlled diabetes, there could be increased glycation of hemoglobin and this form of the protein has lower affinity to oxygen. Fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels are the best indicators of the extent of diabetic control.

METHODS: A case control study was made on diabetic patients (both insulin dependent and independent) that have follow up in the diabetic clinic of Jimma University Hospital. To check whether the patients had good or poor glycaemic control, serum glycated hemoglobin, and fasting blood glucose levels of patients were measured by using standard test kits.

RESULTS: In the study, 100 diabetic patients and 158 non-diabetic subjects were employed. Out of the 100 patients 33 were female and 67 were male and 58 were insulin dependent and 42 non-insulin dependent cases. Female diabetic subjects showed an increased serum concentration of glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc) than male subjects. The patients in the age group 30-39 showed the highest blood sugar level and glycated hemoglobin concentration.

CONCLUSION: From the results obtained by measuring glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc), it can be concluded that the patients had a poor glycaemic control in the past three months from the date of collection of blood samples. There is also a general increase in HbAle with increasing level of fasting blood sugar (FBS) level.