Hemoglobin types in leprosy

RESUMO

Paper electrophoresis studies were made to ascertain the frequency of abnormal hemoglobin types among 205 patients (187 lepromatous and 18 tuberculoid) hospitalized at the Public Health Service Hospital, Carville, LOuisiana. As controls, blood was obtained from 21 nonpatients with normal hemoglobin patterns and 3 nonpatients having abnormal patterns. Hemoglobin A, the normal pattern, was found in 163 (79,5%) of the patients. Atypical patterns were observed in 28 of the patients by the method we used. Hemolysates from 12 of the 28 patients were submitted to Chernoff who, using a different method than we had used, identifies 5 of the 12 patterns as follows hemoglobin C trait, 2; sickle-cell trait, 1; sickle-cell trait with a fast-moving component (unidentified), 1; hemoglobin A plus a fast-moving component (unidentified), 1. Hemoglobin C patterns were noted in 13 instances and hemoglobin C trait pattern in 1 instance. Sickling of the erythrocytes or target cells could not be demonstrated in the group showing atypical patterns, or in those patients exhibiting a hemoglobin C pattern. Fetal hemoglobin F as measured by an alkaline denaturation method showed values within the normal range of less than 1 per cent.