The effect of iron supplementation on HBA1c levels in non-diabetic pregnant women

Background: It is estimated that 41, 8% of pregnant women worldwide are anemic. At least half of this burden is assumed to be due to iron deficiency. Although iron deficiency anemia is very common in pregnancy, there has been limited research investigating glycosylated hemoglobin (HBA1c) levels in nondiabetic anaemic pregnant women and the effect of iron supplementation on HbA1c levels. We aimed to investigate HBA1c level changes in anemic pregnant women after anemia is corrected and to evaluate the relation of HBA1c with haemoglobin, haematocrit, ferritin and red blood cell indices. Materials and Methods: Thirty seven pregnant women (16-30 weeks into their pregnancies) who had been diagnosed as having iron deficiency anemia (IDA) were enrolled in the study. IDA was corrected with iron supplementation. Haemoglobin, haematocrit, ferritin and red blood cell indices were analysed prior to and following (1 month) iron replacement therapy. Results: HBA1c values significantly decreased after iron supplementation when compared to those in a pre-supplementation state (5.01 ± 0.39 vs. 4.69 ± 0.38). Conclusion: The correction of iron deficiency anemia (IDA) in pregnant women via iron supplementation significantly decreased HBA1c values. Thus, the interpretation of HBA1c values should be carefully conducted in the presence of IDA in the case of pregnancy. If there is IDA in pregnancy, it should be corrected prior to making any decisions based on HBA1c values.