Relationship Between Glycated Haemoglobin and Body Mass Index in a Healthy Population in Egor Local Government Area, Benin City

Abstract

Context: Glycated haemoglobin is widely used as an index of mean glycemia, a measure of risk for the development of diabetic complications and quality of diabetes care. Obesity is commonly associated with type
2 diabetes and has been shown to cause or aggravate insulin resistance.
Objective: To determine the relationship between glycated hemoglobin and body mass index in an apparently healthy population in Egor local government area, Benin City.
Methods: This is a cross sectional study involving healthy adults. Blood pressure, Height, Weight were all measured and body mass index (BMI) calculated as weight (in kilograms) divided by height (in meters squared). Glycated haemoglobin was estimated using the ion exchange chromatography method.
Result: A total of 100 healthy subjects, 50 males and 50 females, ages ranging from 18 – 65 years were included in the study. Forty-six percent of the study population had BMI within the normal range, while the
remaining subjects were either overweight (31%), obese (22%), morbidly obese (1%). BMI correlated significantly with Glycated haemoglobin (r=.330) (p < 0.05) in the study population. Correlation was stronger amongst the males (r=.456) (p< 0.05) than females, and was not statistically significant in the females (r=.319) (p> 0.05). BMI also showed a weak but significant correlation with diastolic blood pressure in the study population (r=.289) (p< 0.05).
Conclusion: Glycated haemoglobin showed a significant correlation with body mass index in the population studied, corroborating the role obesity may play in the aietiopathogenesis of diabetes mellitus type 2 in this
environment.

Key words: Glycated, haemoglobin, obesity, mass, index