Different forms of Hb Le Lamentin. An unexpected finding in Hba1c quantification

First Report of Hemoglobin Le Lamentin [Alpha 20 (B1) His → Gln] in the Alpha1 Globin Gene in an Indian Patient and a Brief Update

“…such alpha globin gene structural variant which does not cause any clinical problems or affect the hematological parameters in the patient. They are completely asymptomatic even when associated with a β-thalassemia trait [3] or in homozygous condition or as double heterozygous with another alpha chain variant [4].…”

“…This is very risky as HbA1c is considered as one of the most reliable marker for monitoring the patients with diabetes mellitus. The wrong levels of HbA1c in patients with diabetes will cause problems in their treatment which can in turn lead to serious consequences [4,5]. Therefore one has to be extremely careful when interpreting the results of HPLC for HbA1c or for beta thalassemia trait to check for any unknown peaks in the P3 window to rule out any possible chances of misdiagnosis or misinterpretation.…”