Iron deficiency anemia and increased A1C levels

[LIGEBA]

Have those of you who receive phlebotomy for PV experienced elevated A1C levels?

I get phlebotomies ever couple of weeks, which as expected, has caused me to be iron deficient and a bit anemic (HGB 11.1, Ferritin <3 ng/mL, Iron 29, Transferrin 6%, UIBC 434, and IBC 463). I am also on 2 aspirin/day, some BP meds, and a statin.

My A1C is now 6.4. Anyone have a similar experience?

[hunter5582]

I did not experience any change in A1C when I was doing regular phlebotomies. The phlebotomies did make me iron deficient,m which is the intent of the procedure. Unfortunately, at one point I was over-phlebotomized and did become anemic. HCT = 32%, which is much too low for a male and too low for a female too.

I believe that some statins may affect A1C. Suggest you check out what is going on with your care team. Please let us know how you get on and what you learn.

[LIGEBA in reply to hunter5582]

hunter5582, I did research increase in A1C due to statins based on your comment and now see it's another possibility for the increase. I've been taking the statin since Dec. 2021 so find it rather odd that I'm seeing the increase just recently (past 3 months). 2 different drs/labs ran my A1C 10 days apart. The earlier one was 6.6 and the later one was 6.4. I think it will be repeated again with the next batch of labs so I'll see if it continues to go down. Thanks for the input.

[Hidden]

I hope you find an answer to this question. I am on phlebotomy for PV and have experienced the low iron but have not had a n issue with A1C. I hope you can get some information from your doctor as that could indicate another troubling health problem. Stay proactive and keep asking until you get answers. Stay well.

[LIGEBA in reply to Hidden]

ETXgran I will be seeing some of my dr.s soon so will be sure to ask and report back if they have any conclusive information.

[Rosie188]

Hi, I had the same experience with low iron and mildly raised HbA1c. If you look into it there seems to be some link between anaemia and HbA1c levels.

[LIGEBA in reply to Rosie188]

Rosie188 yes, I did come across some NIH articles and other studies explaining iron-induced anemia could cause falsely elevated A1C. Thanks for weighing in.

[LIGEBA]

Just a quick update. My A1C has dropped to 5.9. I cut my statin use in half a few months back, and have been eating a mostly plant-based diet during this time as well. My A1C had been 6.4 so significant drop. Not 100% sure if the changes made the difference or if it was because my hemoglobin increased a bit and took me out of anemia range. Dr.s haven't given any explanation yet.