Adult hemoglobin levels in newborn babies from different countries and in babies with some significant hemoglobinopathies.

The level of adult hemoglobin (Hb A, Hb S, Hb C, Hb E) was determined in cord blood samples of 66 Black babies (41 with four alpha-globin genes; 25 with two alpha-globin genes) with Hb A, of 51 SS, 7 CC, and 6 EE babies, of 359 babies from Mediterranean countries, and 197 babies from Japan and China. Methodology involved high-performance liquid chromatographic procedures, which are considered most accurate because of a complete separation of Hb F (or gamma chains) and the adult hemoglobins (or beta A or beta X chains). The presence of an alpha 2-thalassemia homozygosity (-alpha/ -alpha versus alpha alpha/alpha alpha) did not affect the average Hb A level. The levels of Hb S and Hb E in homozygous Hb S or Hb E babies were about one-third lower than the Hb A of the normal baby, while that of Hb C in homozygous Hb C babies was not decreased. The average level of Hb A in Chinese (50 babies) and Japanese (147 babies) was about 16.0%, which was significantly lower than the average level of 19.0% in newborns of Italian (221 babies), Yugoslavian (68 babies), and Turkish (70 babies) origin.