Simple method for estimating glycosylated hemoglobins, and its application to evaluation of diabetic patients.

Recent reports have suggested that determination of glycosylated hemoglobin may serve as a clinical aid for long-term blood glucose control in diabetes mellitus. We describe a simple procedure for measuring it by ion-exchange chromatography. Hemolysates were subjected to Bio-Rex 70 chromatographic separation on small columns. Percentages in the normal group ranged from 4.7 to 8.8% of total hemoglobin; the mean +/- standard error was 6.61 +/- 0.31%. Values in the diabetic group ranged from 6.9 to 17.4%; the mean was 10.83 +/- 0.34. Plasma glucose concentrations after fasting, plotted vs. the percent of glycosylated hemoglobin, revealed a linear relationship at normal or moderately high glucose concentrations. However, the values for glycosylated hemolgobin approached a plateau with grossly higher plasma glucose concentrations after fasting. Our results support the view that, due to its long half-life, the estimation of glycoylated hemoglobin reflects the integrated glucose concentrations to which the erythrocytes have been previously exposed.