An automated liquid-chromatographic system for convenient determination of glycated hemoglobin A1c

For quantification of glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), we compared an automated system (Pharmacia Fast Protein Liquid Chromatography), which separates and determines HbA1c, with a commercial disposable-minicolumn kit (Boehringer-Mannheim), which separates total HbA1. We studied 41 diabetic women and 79 apparently normal women on their first postparturition day. The automated method was more precise (within-run CV 0.98-4.16%) than the kit method (within-run CV 3.67-7.77%). Results by the two methods correlated well for both control (p less than 0.001) and diabetic (p less than 0.05) groups. Values for HbA1c correlated significantly with fasting blood-glucose concentrations in controls and diabetics (intraclass correlation coefficient rI = 0.822 and 0.851, respectively, p less than 0.001) as well as with 1- and 2-h values for glucose after a 75-g glucose load in the control group (rI = 0.649 and 0.846, respectively, p less than 0.001). For HbA1 no such significant correlation was found except with values for fasting blood glucose in diabetics (rI = 0.745, p less than 0.001). Evaluation of HbA1c was a more sensitive index of glycemic status. The automated system is convenient, reliable, and easily operated.