ABSTRACT
Hemoglobin and glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1C) are frequently monitored health indicators in population based studies for information about the status of nutrition and diabetes control. We present here possibly for the first time the findings of simultaneous estimation of Hemoglobin and HbA1C on Dried blood spot (DBS) samples by a single test. Validation was done by turbidimetric inhibition immunoassay (TINIA) using Roche Integra 400 plus instrument. Paired whole blood and DBS samples were tested for HbA1C estimation by Integra 400 plus. Total hemoglobin values obtained during HbA1C estimation were compared with hemoglobin values estimated by Coulter AcT 5 Diff CP Hematology counter. Agreement in HbA1C and hemoglobin values between paired whole blood and DBS samples was found to be high with R2 values of 0.994 and 0.9349, respectively. Intra- and inter- assay precision was found to be within 10% for both parameters. Values obtained after assaying DBS samples prepared by spotting proficiency samples on Whatman 903 protein saver cards demonstrated acceptable standard deviation indices resulting in successful participation in EQAS programs for both these parameters. The results reveal the potential of TINIA for simultaneous estimation of hemoglobin and HbA1C from a single punch of the DBS samples.
ABSTRACT
Background & objectives: Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) has infected several million individuals in India. Various interventions have been implemented for early detection and prevention of transmission of HIV infection. This has progressively changed the clinical profile of HIV infected individuals and this study documents the clinical presentation of individuals positive for HIV in 2010, in Pune, Maharashtra, India. Methods: This cross-sectional study included subjects who had come to the HIV referral clinic for HIV testing from January to December 2010. children as well as individuals with indeterminate HIV result were excluded from the study, and data for 1546 subjects were finally analysed. Results: The HIV positivity rate among all referred cases for the year 2010 was 35 per cent (male 55% and females 45%). The median age (Q1, Q3) was 31 (25.75, 39) yr. The median CD4 cell count for all HIV infected individuals (whose CD4 count was available n= 345) was 241 cells/μl and for asymptomatic HIV infected individuals was 319 cells/μl. There were 673 (43.5%) symptomatic and 873 (56.5%) asymptomatic participants. Fever, breathlessness, cough with expectoration, weight loss, loss of appetite, generalized weakness, pallor and lymphadenopathy (axillary and cervical) were found to be associated (p< 0.001) with HIV positivity. On multivariate analysis, history of herpes zoster [AOR 11.314 (6.111-20.949)] and TB [AOR 11.214 (6.111-20.949)] was associated with HIV positivity. Interpretation & conclusions: Signs and symptoms associated with HIV positivity observed in this study can be used by health care providers to detect HIV infection early. Moreover, similar to HIV testing in patients with tuberculosis, strategies can be developed for considering Herpes zoster as a predictor of HIV infection.