Abstract
Background Evidence suggest a potential relationship between high or variable HbA1C levels and presence or rate of change of microalbuminuria. Disruption of the vascular endothelial glycocalyx has been linked to chronic hyperglycemia and microalbuminuria, suggesting a possible shared pathophysiological mechanism.
Aim To 1) explore potential association between microalbuminuria and high HbA1C levels in Melanesian adults with diabetes mellitus, and 2) asses predictive value of a high HbA1C reading as an indicator of the presence or progression of microalbuminuria.
Method A cross-sectional study on 190 patients with either type 1 or 2 diabetes of at least 1-year duration done at a provincial hospital in Papua New Guinea in 2017.
Result A significant [P=0.0221], though weak [R2=0.028 <0.70], correlation between UACR and HbA1C [95% statistical confidence] was observed in univariate regression, which was marginally significant [P=0.056] after controlling for weight, systolic hypertension, duration of diabetes, gender and age in multivariate regression.
Conclusion A significant [p=0.022], though weak, correlation between UACR and HbA1C levels was observed, which may support usefulness of HbA1C as a predictor for microalbuminuria and diabetic kidney disease. In settings without microalbuminuria testing, high HbA1c levels can be used as a proxy to indicate presence or progression of microalbuminuria, thus prompting timely interventions to prevent further progression of diabetic nephropathy.
Competing Interest Statement
The authors have declared no competing interest.
Funding Statement
There was no external funding for this research project. related expanses were catered for authors themselves.
Author Declarations
I confirm all relevant ethical guidelines have been followed, and any necessary IRB and/or ethics committee approvals have been obtained.
Yes
The details of the IRB/oversight body that provided approval or exemption for the research described are given below:
Research Ethical Committee of the Angau Memorial Hospital approved of the study.
All necessary patient/participant consent has been obtained and the appropriate institutional forms have been archived.
Yes
I understand that all clinical trials and any other prospective interventional studies must be registered with an ICMJE-approved registry, such as ClinicalTrials.gov. I confirm that any such study reported in the manuscript has been registered and the trial registration ID is provided (note: if posting a prospective study registered retrospectively, please provide a statement in the trial ID field explaining why the study was not registered in advance).
Yes
I have followed all appropriate research reporting guidelines and uploaded the relevant EQUATOR Network research reporting checklist(s) and other pertinent material as supplementary files, if applicable.
Yes
Data Availability
The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. No applicable resources were generated or analyzed during the current study.
Abbreviations
- HbA1C or A1C
- Hemoglobin A1C
- UACR
- Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio
- PNG
- Papua New Guinea
- R2
- egression Coefficient