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Reporting Interference of variant haemoglobins on HbA1c analysis in Cork University Hospital.

Glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) is the gold standard for assessing long-term glycemic control in diabetes mellitus. Studies have shown that the presence of haemoglobin (Hb) variants (HbD, Hb xxxxxx.) interfere with HbA1c assessment leading to underestimated values.
This project aims to:
i) evaluate the frequency of this phenomenon in the population of the HSE South
ii) assess the user awareness of Hb variant interference on HbA1c analysis and
iii) evaluate use of alternative methods of assessing glycation among laboratory users
The HSE South region, with a population of over 660,000, is entirely served by the haematology laboratory in Cork University Hospital (CUH) and over 80,000 samples for A1C are processed annually in CUH.
We will gather data on requested HbA1c test, data will be gathered for 7 months in 2014 to assess the frequency of interference. For patients who are detected to have Hb variants, their doctors will be contacted to identify whether the variant was expected and their awareness of interference will be assessed. General awareness of the topic will be assessed, among medical staff, in the form of a questionnaire. The cost effectiveness and usefullness of individual identification of all Hb variants detected will also be calculated.