Analysis of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level on maxillofacial fascial space infection in diabetic patients

This study was performed to evaluate the impact of glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) level on characteristics and prognosis of maxillofacial fascial infection in diabetic patients. We reviewed the medical records of 72 patients (35 patients with HbA1c lower than 7.0% and 37 patients with HbA1c higher than 7.0%) diagnosed with maxillofacial fascial space infection and hospitalized for treatment at the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery in Dankook University Hospital (Cheonan, Korea) from January 2005 to February 2014. We compared demographics, parameters of glucoregulation (HbA1c), laboratory parameters of inflammation (white blood cell [WBC], C-reactive protein [CRP] count), type and number of involved spaces, type and number of antibiotics, period of hospitalization, number of surgical operations, need for tracheostomy, complications, computed tomography (CT), and microorganisms between the two groups. Compared with the well-controlled diabetes mellitus (DM) group (HbA1c