Abstract
The frequency of hemoglobin F (HbF) persistece in 5, 167 diabetic patients was compared with that in 82 normal healthy controls.
The results were as follows:
1) 1, 023 diabetic patients (19.8%) had concentrations of HbF from 0.5% to 0.9% of the totalhemoglobin.
197 diabetics (3.8%) had HbF from 1% to 1.9% of the total hemoglobin.
45 diabetics (0.9%) had HbF from 2% to 2.9% of the total hemoglobin.
45 diabetics (0.9%) had HbF from 3% to 6.9% of the total hemoglobin.
None of these frequencies were significantly different from those in normal control subjects.
2) Frequency of HbF persistence was higher in women, especially pregnnt women, than in men.
3) Six of the 90 diabetic patients with HbF persistence above 2% had hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism in their past history.
4) There was no relationship between HbF and diabetic retinopthy or albuminuria.
5) There was a strong correlation between HbF and HbA1-HbA1c (r=0.96), and also a significant correlation between HbF and HbA1 (r=0.55).
We conclde that 25.4% of the diabetic patients had HbF levels greater than 0.5%, therefore, if there is a discrepancy between HbA1 and HbA1c, HbF persistence in the patient's sera might be considered.
