Tipping the balance: Haemoglobinopathies and the risk of diabetes.

Aim: To establish a link between the risk of diabetes with haemoglobinopathies by examining available evidence of the effects of iron and blood glucose homeostasis from molecular to epidemiological perspectives.

Methods: A systematic literature search was performed using electronic literature databases using various search terms. The International Diabetes Federation World Atlas was used to generate a list of populations with high rates of diabetes.