Multicenter validation of fully automated capillary electrophoresis method for diagnosis of thalassemias and hemoglobinopathies in Thailand.

Thalassemias and hemoglobinopathies are highly prevalent in Thailand and other Southeast Asian countries. Accurate and precise separation of hemoglobin types, together with reliable quantitation, are essential for differential diagnosis of these diseases. Presented in this study is a multicenter validation of a fully automated capillary electrophoresis (CE) method for hemoglobin separation and quantitation involving four reference laboratories in Thailand. Analytical performance characteristics, including precision and accuracy were compared with existing validated HPLC and LPLC methods using 412 blood samples from unrelated subjects. Coefficient of variance of Hb A2 quantitation was 1.80-2.86, 1.26-5.13 and 1.08-6.66% for within run, between run and interlaboratory comparison, respectively. Results of Hb A2 and Hb F quantitated by the CE method correlates well with those of the two comparative methods (r = 0.98-0.99). The CE method correctly determined the genotypes (thalassemias and hemoglobin variants) of all blood samples tested. The major advantage of the CE system is its ability to separate and quantitate Hb A2, Hb E, Hb F, Hb H and Hb Bart's, which are important parameters required for diagnosis of thalassemias and hemoglobinopathies.