The two major roles of the haemoglobinopathy laboratory are the recognition of clinically important variant haemoglobins and the accurate and precise quantification of haemoglobin A2 for the diagnosis of β-thalassaemia heterozygosity. Both can be met by capillary electrophoresis (CE), which is now regarded as a suitable technique for the diagnosis of β-thalassaemia and the detection of variant haemoglobins.
In the August issue of Pathology in Practice, the experiences of four hospital sites (Royal Hallamshire Hospital, Sheffield; Hereford County Hospital; South West London Pathology; and Birmingham Women’s Hospital) now using CE as a front-line method in the diagnosis of haemoglobinopathies will be featured, along with the advantages offered by Sebia Capillarys instruments.
