Depend on VARIANT™ II TURBO System for Expert A1c Testing

Not All HbA1c Assays Are Equal

Effects of 49 Different Rare Hb Variants on HbA1c Measurement in Eight Methods

Randie R. Little et al. (2015) Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology¹

Introduction

This study examined analytical interference from 49 different less common variants comparing seven different HbA1c methods. HbA1c accuracy was assessed as well as the likelihood of the systems to report inaccurate results. The authors noted that previous studies with some assay methods have shown interference with HbA1c measurements from the four most common heterozygous Hb variants (HbAS, HbAE, HbAC, and HbAD).

Study Results

Bio-Rad HPLC systems outperformed other HbA1c testing systems. With the VARIANT II TURBO System, 97.7% clinically accurate results in the presence of rare hemoglobin variants would have been reported. The table below illustrates the clinical benefit of Bio-Rad cation-exchange HPLC for patient diagnosis and treatment.

Conclusion

To ensure accurate HbA1c results, it’s important to know whether patients have a hemoglobin variant and, if so, how that variant affects HbA1c results. Laboratories should take care when reporting results if a variant is suspected.