2009 Volume 48 Issue 16 Pages 1397-1401
Glycohemoglobin, also known as hemoglobin (Hb) A1c, is a marker of long-term glycemic control in patients with diabetes. We present two South-Asian diabetic patients whose HbA1c peaks were not measurable using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Further investigations showed that these patients were homozygous for a hemoglobin variant, HbE (β26 Glu→Lys). Because of the increasing numbers of immigrants in Japan, area-specific hemoglobinopathies are now encountered more frequently than before. Thus, if discrepant results are found on an HbA1c assay or if the HbA1c value cannot be measured, such patients should be screened for hemoglobinopathies and alternative measurements for monitoring diabetes should be considered.
