Comparative study of blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin in type 2 diabetics in Lubumbashi city

Introduction: Diabetes mellitus is a complex disease, with polymorphic clinical expression and diverse etiopathogenesis, creating an absolute (insufficiency of secretion) or relative (resistance, etc.) defect in insulin effect. This defect in insulin secretion and/or action leads to chronic hyperglycemia with disturbances in carbohydrate, lipid and protein metabolism. Objective: The objective of our study was to establish the relationship between variations in blood sugar and glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) in type 2 diabetics in Lubumbashi city. Methods: The study involved a sample of 39 known type 2 diabetics treated at the University Clinics of Lubumbashi. Venous blood samples were taken from all patients for the measurement of blood glucose after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd month of antidiabetic treatment and for the measurement of HbA1c after the 3rd month of treatment. Results: The average blood glucose concentrations obtained after the 1st, 2nd and 3rd month of treatment were respectively 180.28 ± 51.09 mg/dl ; 154.20 ± 49.33mg/dl and 135.58 ± 36.45 mg/dl while the percentage of HbA1c after the 3rd month of treatment was 5.90 ± 0.55. Statistical analysis showed that the average blood glucose obtained after the 1st month of treatment was significantly higher (P<0.05) than those obtained after the 2nd and 3rd months of treatment. There was no significant difference between the average blood glucose obtained after the 2nd month of treatment and that obtained after the 3rd month of treatment. Furthermore, a positive correlation (r=0.56) was found between average blood glucose and HbA1c. Conclusion: On the one hand, our results show that the antidiabetic treatment followed by the patients was effective and, on the other hand, they highlight the need to associate the measurement of blood glucose with that of HbA1c in the diagnosis and treatment monitoring in diabetic patients.