Stabilities of hemoglobins A and S in dried blood spots stored under controlled conditions

Objective

We aimed to measure separately the contributions of heat and humidity to changes in levels of hemoglobins A and S in dried-blood-spot (DBS) samples.

Design and methods

We stored paired sets of DBSs at 37 °C for predetermined intervals in low-humidity and high-humidity environments. Hemoglobin A and S levels of all samples in each complete set were measured in a single high performance liquid chromatography run.

Results

During the one-month storage intervals, both hemoglobin species lost about 35% of initial levels in low-humidity storage and almost all of initial levels in high-humidity storage.

Conclusions

Minimizing both humidity and temperature in the transportation and storage environments of DBS samples is essential to maintaining the integrity of the hemoglobin tetramer molecules.