HEMOGLOBIN ELECTROPHORESIS

Hemoglobin (Hb) is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red cells of the blood in mammals and other animals.

The name hemoglobin is the concatenation of heme and globin, a globin being a generic term for a globular protein The globin consists of four subunits, which each bind a heme groups. The heme groups are organic molecules, and containg one iron atom each that is important for the binding of oxygen to the molecule. Mutations in the gene for the haemoglobin protein result in a group of hereditary diseases termed the hemoglobinopathies, the most common members of which are sickle-cell disease and thalassaemia

Hemoglobin electrophoresis is a test that measures the different types of hemoglobin in the blood.
Hb electrophoresis is performed when a disorder associated with abnormal hemoglobin (hemoglobinopathy) is suspected. The test is used primarily to diagnose diseases involving these abnormal forms of hemoglobin, such as sickle cell anemia and thalassemia

Each of the major hemoglobin types has an electrical charge of a different degree, so the most useful method for separating and measuring normal and abnormal hemoglobins is electrophoresis. This process involves subjecting hemoglobin components from dissolved red blood cells to an electric field. The components then move away from each other at different rates, and when separated form a series of distinctly pigmented bands. The bands are then compared with those of a normal sample. Each band can be further assessed as a percentage of the total hemoglobin, thus indicating the severity of any abnormality

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