Glycosylated Hemoglobin Levels Among Non-Diabetic Children With Sickle Cell Anemia At Muhimbili National Hospital. A Case For Establishing Normal Values

Abstract BackgroundImprovement in the management of children with SCA, has led to increase in their lifespan. However, the increased lifespan, has been accompanied with emergence of various endocrinopathies such as Diabetes mellitus (DM).Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels have been found to be lower in children with SCA compared to children without SCA in various studies. This can lead to missed children with DM hence delaying their treatment. There is a need to establish normal ranges of HbA1c levels corresponding to children with SCA.ObjectiveTo determine normal range of HbA1c levels among non-diabetic children with SCA attending clinics at Muhimbili National Hospital in Dar-es-salaamMethodologyThis was a hospital-based cross sectional study conducted at Paediatric clinics in Muhimbili National Hospital involving children from 9 months to 14 years. The study was approved by Institutional review Board of MUHAS. A written informed consent was obtained.120 children with SCA and 40 children without SCA were recruited. Data was reported as median and IQR or as mean ± standard deviation. Chi-square was used for categorical data while independent t-test and Mann Whitney test were used for continuous data. ResultsThe reference range of HbA1c levels in children with SCA was from 3.4% to 5.2%. Median HbA1c level in children with SCA was 4.2% with IQR of (4.1% - 4.6%) while for children without SCA median HbA1c levels was 5.3% with IQR of (4.9% - 5.5%). The median HbA1c level was significantly lower in children with SCA than children without SCA.Conclusion and RecommendationThe reference range of HbA1c levels in children with SCA was from 3.4% to 5.2%. Children with SCA had lower levels of HbA1c compared to children without SCA. Health personnel are advised to use HbA1c reference ranges obtained from this study when screening for Diabetes mellitus in children with SCA.