Effects of the Hb E, Hb H and Hb G-Taichung variants on HbA1c values by the Bio-Rad variant II turbo analyzer.

Objectives: The influences of Hb variants on HbA(1c) values can cause mismanagement of diabetes; therefore, the effects of Hb E, H, and G-Taichung variants were evaluated.

Designs And Methods: HbA(1c) values of 2105 samples, including 37 samples with Hb E, H and G-Taichung variants identified by Hb electrophoresis and the PCR sequence, were evaluated by the ion-exchange (Bio-Rad Variant II Turbo analyzer) and boronate affinity (Primus CLC 385 analyzer) high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) methods.

Results: In the patients with the Hb E and H variants, their HbA(1c) values determined by ion-exchange HPLC were significantly higher than those by boronate affinity HPLC.