Haemoglobin F and A2 profiles among Sickle Cell Anaemia Patients in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Nigeria

Abstract

Background: The choice of high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) to measure HbF and HbA2 in sickle cell disease patients is regarded as a method of choice by many researchers. This study was aimed at using HPLC in determining the mean and gender-specific reference values of HbF and HbA2 in sickle cell anemia (SCA) population and bringing to fore all associated implications. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional, retrospective, descriptive study involving SCA patients. All case notes containing HPLC hemoglobin quantification reports were reviewed to extract the percentages of HbA2, HbF, and HbS of patients. The demographic data of individual patients were also obtained from the records. Data were analyzed with IBM SPSS Statistics for Windows, Version 20.0 Armonk, New York, USA. Results: A total of 100 participants’ records were reviewed consisting of 40 (40%) males and 60 (60%) females. The overall mean age (±standard deviation [SD]) of participants was 25.89 years ±9.34. The overall mean HbF and HbA2 were 6.94% ±5.05 and 3.75% ±0.74, respectively. Thirty percent had HbF <3%, whereas 34% of them had elevated HbA2 level >4%. The mean (±SD) HbF and HbA2 for both males and females were 6.97% ±5.45 and 3.68% ±0.58, 6.92% ±4.87, and 3.80% ±0.83, respectively. Conclusion: Thirty percent of the study participants had HbF <3%, whereas 34% of them had elevated HbA2 level >4% and could indeed be carrying beta thalassemia trait with the sickle cell gene.