A Rapid Microchromatographic Method for Determination of Hemoglobin A_I

Abstract

Hemoglobin A_I (HbA_I) is a minor hemoglobin fraction, which is continuously formed by a glycosylation reaction throughout the life-span of the erythrocyte. The concentration of HbA_I reflects the average blood glucose level during the preceding 1–2 months and HbA_I -determinations have been found to be of value in long-term diabetes control. A simple and reliable microchromatographic method for HbA_I-determinations, suitable for routine clinical analyses, is described. In a group of diabetic patients (n = 126) the mean (± S.D.) HbA_I—value was 9.6 ± 1.8 %, in the reference group (n = 33) the corresponding value was 6.0 ± 0.8 %. A commercial kit (Bio-Rad) based on the same principle was compared with our method. It was of equal accuracy and gave comparable results.