Assessment of Changes in Glycaemic Control and Blood Viscosity Determinants: Does Glycaemia Impact on Haematocrit, Proteinaemia or Dyslipidaemia?

<b>Background:</b> The relationship between glycaemia and the variables of haematocrit, serum total protein and lipids possibly plays a role in pathological processes and hence is a subject of interest. Estimated blood viscosity causes impaired blood flow and is a factor in other vascular diseases. Blood viscosity is correlated with glycated haemoglobin, but the mechanism of this association has not been extensively investigated. <b>Objective</b>: To assess if changes in glycated haemoglobin translate into changes in blood viscosity through impact on haematocrit, serum protein or dyslipidaemia. <b>Method</b>: This was a clinical laboratory-based retrospective data analysis of patients attending a diabetic clinic. Analysis involved seven variables comprising serum total protein level, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, triglyceride, age and glycated haemoglobin. The statistical evaluations were descriptive, comparative and correlational. <b>Results</b>: A total of 12,986 sets of data represented the participants in this study. After excluding three with incomplete data of interest, the groups that were created for comparison comprised the following: good glycaemic control (2694), moderate glycaemic control (4075) and poorly controlled (6194). Serum levels of high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, total cholesterol, haematocrit and proteinaemia gradually decreased with worsening glycaemic control, while serum triglyceride and age increased. In the correlation analysis, serum triglyceride level was positively correlated with glycated haemoglobin r = 0.177, while haematocrit and proteinaemia were negatively related, at -0.045 and -0.103, respectively. <b>Conclusions</b>: Increase in glycated haemoglobin was inversely related to haematocrit and proteinaemia; therefore, this did not always increase with the determinants of estimated whole blood viscosity. The implication of this is that further studies are required to substantiate the observation of higher whole blood viscosity levels in patients with poorly controlled diabetes.