Hemoglobin E, an oxidatively unstable mutation.

When bloods from 3,159 individuals from the United States, Iran, Ethiopia, and South Vietnam were examined for erythrocytic enzyme deficiencies with a new test utilizing the visible reduction of 2,6-dichlorophenolindophenol by glutathione, gross turbidity was observed in 81 samples. All were from Southeast Asia and 78 contained hemoglobin E. The precipitation rates of various hemoglogins in hemolysates incubated with dichlorophenolindophenol were: Hb EE greater than Hb AE greater than other hemoglobins (A, S, C, D, A2, F, O-Arabia, Rush). Hemoglobin E is an oxidatively unstable hemoglobin, possibly with weakened alpha 1 beta 1 contact; it may result in increased susceptibility to oxidative hemolysis and can be simply detected and differentiated from both Hb C and Hb O-Arabia.