The prevalence of the red cell morphology changes in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus

Previous studies have shown that hematological alterations are a common finding in patients with diabetes. The aim of our study was to estimate the prevalence of the red cell morphology changes in diabetic patients and their correlation with markers of glycemic control. Thirty patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus were recruited for this study. Patient demographics, relevant concomitant illnesses and medical history were recorded. Anthropometric, biochemical parameters (fasting plasma glucose - FPG, glycated hemoglobin - HbA1c, glomerular filtration rate - GFR) and morphology of blood smear were assessed. Results were compared with the same measurements in 30 subjects without diabetes mellitus. The groups were similar in terms of age and gender but there were statistically significant differences for the recorded parameters in patients of study group and control subjects. Regarding the assessment of FPG, in the study group were recorded averages of 217.70±73.20 mg÷dL compared with controls that compared with controls that had a blood glucose value of 90.03±6.59 mg÷dL. In the study group, mean HbA1c was 7.95±1.99%. For the control group, the mean value of HbA1c was 5.65±0.32%. In the study group, GFR ranged between 47.70 and 118.90 mL÷min.÷1.73 m². For the control group, GFR values were between 88.00 and 130.00 mL÷min.÷1.73 m². In the analysis of blood cytology for the study group, there were changes in the smear type hypochromia, anisocytosis and poikilocyosis (20 patients - 66.66%). In terms of red cell morphology, changes were recorded anulocytes type, red cells in "mark to the target fired" (codocytes), bream (leptocytes), schizocytes, and red cells in "drop" (dacryocytes). We observed a high prevalence of the red cell morphology changes in diabetic patients compared with non-diabetic subjects. Our findings suggest the need of screening for routine hematological tests in type 2 diabetes mellitus.