A new hemoglobin variant found during investigations of diabetes mellitus: Hb Pavie [alpha 135 (H18) Val----Glu]

Abstract

Hb Pavie [alpha 135 (H18) Val----Glu], found during HbA1c measurement in a patient of Italian origin investigated for diabetes mellitus, exemplifies how the presence of an abnormal hemoglobin interferes with the measurement of glycated hemoglobin. This variant hemoglobin migrates as Hb A1c on polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing (IEF) and therefore hindered the estimation of glycated hemoglobin by this method. By ion-exchange high-performance liquid chromatography (IE-HPLC) Hb Pavie was eluted as a shoulder of the major component and the corresponding glycated fraction together with Hb A1b. Hb Pavie was purified in order to determine how its functional properties may modify red cell survival. The only functional abnormality observed was a slight decrease of the oxygen affinity, and therefore the total amount of glycated hemoglobin was not expected to be decreased by a shortening of the red cell survival.