Abstract
Background: Anemia is severe and common in diabetic patients compared to nondiabetic. Patients with type II Diabetes Mellitus (DM) are twice more likely to have anemia than nondiabetic patients and it is considered as a key prognostic factor. Studies indicate that anemia may increase the risk for progression of micro-and macro-vascular complications. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and predictors of anemia among patients with type II DM. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study conducted at diabetic center attached to king Fahad hospital included 6877 patients with a diagnosis of type II DM during the period 1st of March 2009 till 31st of July 2019. Patients were divided into two groups based on the presence or absence of anemia. Results: Out of 6877 patients included in the analysis, 4299 (62.5%) were males, 2332 (33.9%) were obese, 4386 (63.8%) had poor control of DM, 3795 (55.2%) had normal eGFR, 4904 (71.3%) were on metformin, 3745 (54.5%) were on insulin. The prevalence of anemia was 30%. About 24.1%of the patients had mild anemia, 4.1% had moderate anemia, 1.5% had severe anemia and 0.3% had life threating anemia. Multivariate analysis showed that female gender [OR, 2.7; 95% CI, 2.41-3.08; p<0.001], low eGFR [OR, 1.0; 95% CI, 0.97-0.97; p<0.001] were the predictors of anemia in type II DM patients. Conclusion: About 30% of patients had anemia. The predictors of anemia among type II DM patients were female gender and presence of advanced renal dysfunction. Early detection and treatment of anemia should be incorporated into the routine assessment of diabetic complications.