Microchromatographic quantitation of hemoglobin A levels in phenotypes of sickle cell-beta(+) thalassemia

The inheritance of the sickle cell gene in combination with a gene for beta(+) thalassemia results in a spectrum of sickle cell-beta(+) thalassemia syndromes with varying levels of hemoglobin A (HbA). Some severe sickle cell-beta(+) thalassemia syndromes have small amounts of HbA, which may be difficult to quantitate in the presence of fetal hemoglobin. A microcolumn chromatographic method, using 0.5 M Tris-acetic acid developers with varying pH values from 9.0 to 6.0, appears to adequately quantitate small amounts of HbA. This method is relatively simple and cheaper than high-performance liquid chromatography, a major consideration in developing countries.