title: Red blood cell count as an indicator of microvascular complications in Chinese patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Rheological disorders of red blood cells (RBC) and decreased RBC deformability have been involved in the development of diabetic microangiopathy. However, few studies have evaluated the association of RBC count with microvascular complications in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The purpose of this study was to investigate the association of RBC count with microvascular complications in patients with T2DM.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study involved 369 patients with T2DM: 243 with one or more microvascular complications and 126 without microvascular complications. Anticoagulated blood was collected and analyzed in an automated blood cell counter. The presence of risk factors for microvascular complications was determined.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The proportion of patients with microvascular complications increased as the RBC count decreased (P < 0.001). After adjustment for known risk factors for microvascular complications by logistic regression analysis, lower quartiles of RBC count were associated with a higher risk of microvascular complications compared with the reference group composed of the highest quartile (first quartile, odds ratio 4.98, 95% confidence interval 1.54-6.19, P = 0.008; second quartile, odds ratio 3.21, 95% confidence interval 1.17-5.28, P = 0.024).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A decreased RBC count is associated with microvascular complications in Chinese patients with T2DM. The RBC count is a potential marker to improve further the ability to identify diabetic patients at high risk of microvascular complications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, First Affiliated Hospital of China Medical University, Shenyang, People's Republic of China.
authors.forename: Zhan-Sheng
authors.initials: ZS
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Zhan-Chun
authors.initials: ZC
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Jing-Hui
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Bai
authors.forename: Fei
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Tao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: Ji
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Qi
authors.forename: Jian
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hu
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D044466:Asian People; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications* / Q000208:ethnology / Q000503:physiopathology; D003925:Diabetic Angiopathies / Q000097:blood / Q000208:ethnology / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004906:Erythrocyte Count; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008833:Microcirculation; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: microvascular complication; red blood cell count; type 2 diabetes mellitus