From Iowa, USA:
My 7 year old daughter was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes two years ago. She also has Hemoglobin AE (Hgb E Trait), but not the disease itself. Do you know if this will effect her A1c test? Her physician, diabetes nurse educator and our geneticist do not have a definite answer for me. Could you please help me?
I can find no reports on the effect of the Hemoglobin E trait on the measurement of A1c. I suspect that this is because modern assays were checked for interference by hemoglobins F, C and S before Canadian investigators reported the relative frequency of the HbE trait in children, especially those of Southeast Asian descent. In addition the combination with autoimmune (Type 1A) diabetes must be very uncommon indeed.
I am not surprised that your diabetes team could not help because there are nearly twenty different techniques that are approved by the American College of Pathology for proficiency testing of A1c under the Clinical Laboratory Improvement Act. To answer your question, it would be necessary to find out from your doctor exactly which method was used in the laboratory and then to call the local representative to have him/her get the facts for you. My guess would be that the manufacturers will not know the answer either and that it will be negligible any way.
Original posting 25 Oct 1998
Posted to A1c, Glycohemoglobin, HgbA1c
Last Updated: Tuesday April 06, 2010 15:09:02
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