Comparative approach to the evaluation of hemoglobin A2 by two different methods: high-performance liquid chromatography and DE-52 microchromatography

Hb A2 was determined in 477 subjects: 77 were affected by iron deficiency anemia, 172 were carriers of beta-thalassemia trait and 228 were normal controls. Hb A2 was determined by both DE-52 microchromatography and high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). The analysis of the data by linear regression demonstrated that the methods furnish overlapping results. Our findings show that HPLC is a rapid and easily reproduced method which allows a quantitative and qualitative discrimination of the various Hb fractions, making it a valid tool in screening programs for hemoglobinopathies.