Studies on Dried Blood Specimens for Hemoglobin A2 Separation and Determination Levels of 13-Thalassemia Carrier by High Performance Liquid Chromatography

The studies on dried blood specimens for hemoglobin A 2 (Hb A 2 ) separation and determination levels of s-thalassemia carrier were carried out by fully automated HPLC. Five microlitre of EDTA blood at optimal Hb concentration 11.5±1.2 g/dL (Hb A 2 >3.5%) were equivalent to 7 millimeter in diameter of dried blood specimen on filter paper giving an appropriate quantization area of chromatogram. The results showed that dried blood specimens from s-thalassemia carriers were stable with minimal change of Hb A 2 level up to 7 days of storage at room temperature. The handling of dried blood specimen provides several advantages over than usual including decrease risk of infection during collection and transportation of specimens from community hospital. Keywords : s-thalassemia, dried blood specimens, HPLC