Hemoglobin Wayne causing a falsely elevated hemoglobin A1c

Hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is an important tool for diagnosis and management of patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). However, hemoglobin variants can interfere with laboratory assays and lead to inaccurate results. This study describes a patient who was found to have falsely elevated HbA1c values secondary to hemoglobin Wayne, a rare hemoglobin variant. Although hemoglobin Wayne is often clinically silent, falsely elevated HbA1c results could lead to unnecessary medical interventions that could cause patient harm. This variation in results highlights the importance of utilizing additional measurements such as glucose readings and evaluating for hemoglobin variants when results are discordant.