Red Blood Cell Lifespan < 74 Days Can Clinically Reduce Hb1Ac Levels in Type 2 Diabetes

Abstract

Variations in the red blood cell (RBC) lifespan can affect glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) test values, but there is still a lack of evidence regarding how and to what degree the RBC lifespan influences HbA1c in the type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) population owing to the restriction of traditional RBC lifespan detection means. In this study, we monitored 464 T2DM patients and 231 healthy control finger blood glucose levels at seven time points for three consecutive months. The HbA1c levels were assessed at the end of the third month as well as the RBC lifespan was measured through the CO breath test. T2DM patients were stratified into four quartile groups according to their RBC lifespans. There was no statistical significance in HbA1c among these four groups. However, the average blood glucose in the Q1 group was significantly higher than those in the other groups. Additionally, the contribution of RBC lifespan to HbA1c test value in the Q1 group was 14.07%, which was significantly higher than those in the other groups. Finally, we used multiple linear regression models to construct a mathematical formula to correct the HbA1c test value in the Q1 group, which would benefit the management of T2DM.