Evaluation of Red Blood Cell Parameters as a Biomarker for Long-Term Glycemic Control Monitoring Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients in Southwest Ethiopia: A Cross-Sectional Study

Figures & data

Table 1 Socio-Demographic Characteristics of T2 DM Patients on Follow-Up Care in JMC, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020 (N=124)

Variables		Sex
		Male	Female	Total
		N=79 (63.7%)	N=45 (36.3%)	N=124 (100%)
Age (years)^a	Mean (± SD)	52.27 (±12.2)	51.09 (±10.6)	51.84 (±11.6)
Marital status	Single	5 (4.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (4.0%)
	Married	71 (57.3)	35 (28.2%)	106 (85.5%)
	Divorced	2 (1.6%)	4 (3.2%)	6 (4.8%)
	Widowed	1 (0.8%)	6 (4.8%)	7 (5.6%)
Educational status	No formal education	12 (9.7%)	17 (13.7%)	29 (23.4%)
	Primary	31 (25.0%)	14 (11.3%)	45 (36.3%)
	Secondary	18 (14.5%)	6 (4.8%)	24 (19.4%)
	Above secondary	18 (14.5%)	8 (6.5%)	26 (21.0%)
Residence	Urban	47 (37.9%)	25 (20.2%)	72 (58.1%)
	Rural	32 (25.8%)	20 (16.1%)	52 (41.9%)
Family history of DM	Yes	17 (13.7%)	12 (9.7%)	29 (23.4%)
	No	62 (50.0%)	33 (26.6%)	95 (76.6%)

Note: ^aAge, a continuous variable presented as mean ± standard deviation.

Table 2 Mean of RBC Parameters Among T2 DM Patients on Follow-Up Care in JMC, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020 (N=124)

Parameters	Total T2 DM N= 124	GGC (HbA1c<7%) N=49	PGC (HbA1c≥7% N=75	P-value
	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD	Mean ± SD
RBC (10^6/μL)	4.59 ± 0.7	4.79 ± 0.5	4.38 ± 0.8	0.001*
HGB (g/dl)	13.82 ± 1.5	14.13 ± 1.4	13.60 ± 1.6	0.05*
HCT (%)	41.85 ± 4.9	42.71 ± 4.1	41.29 ± 5.3	0.099
MCV (fl)	91.39 ± 6.7	89.52 ± 4.7	92.62 ± 7.5	0.005*
MCH (pg)	30.32 ± 2.6	29.63 ± 1.6	30.77 ± 2.9	0.007*
MCHC (g/dl)	33.09 ± 0.8	33.11 ± 0.8	33.07 ± 0.8	0.799
RDW (%)	14.10 ± 1.2	13.68 ± 1.1	14.63 ± 1.2	0.000*

Note: *Statistically significant at p<0.05.

Abbreviations: GGC, good glycemic control; PGC, poor glycemic control.

Table 3 Pearson’s Correlation Analysis Between RBC Parameters and HbA1c in T2 DM Patients on Follow-Up Care in JMC, Southwest Ethiopia, 2020 (N=124)

	HbA1c (%)
Parameters	Pearson’s Correlation (r)	P-value
RBC (10^6/μL)	−0.280	0.002**
HGB (g/dl)	−0.102	0.258
HCT (%)	−0.076	0.402
MCV (fl)	0.267	0.003**
MCH (pg)	0.231	0.010*
MCHC (g/dl)	−0.029	0.749
RDW (%)	0.496	0.000**

Notes: *Correlation is significant at 0.05 (two-tailed); **Correlation is significant at 0.01 (two-tailed); P-value <0.05 is considered statistically significant.