Anemia in diabetes mellitus in Africa: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Anemia accelerates chronic complications of diabetes mellitus (DM). We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to estimate the prevalence of anemia among people with DM in Africa.

A search of studies was conducted in the main databases (Medline, EMBASE, Scopus, CINAHL, AJOL and Google Scholar) and the reference lists of selected studies. Observational studies that met the eligibility criteria were included in this meta-analysis. There was no limitation in terms of language.

We obtained data from 27 eligible studies, including 5913 patients. The pooled prevalence of anemia was 35% (95% CI: 28%-42%, I² = 97.7%, p < 0.01). In sub-group analysis, the pooled prevalence was higher in people with diabetic foot lesions (56%, 95% CI: 49%-63%, I² = 51.04%, p = 0.100) than in the general population of people with diabetes (30%, 95% CI: 23%-37%, I² = 97.6%, p < 0.01). Pooled prevalence rates were also higher in; males than females (34% vs 31%), type II DM than type I DM (35% vs 26%), and in patients with poor glycemic control compared to those with good glycemic control (33% vs. 22%).

The prevalence of anemia in DM was high warranting enhanced clinical and public health interventions.