EVALUATION OF THE ALKALINE HEMATIN D-575 METHOD FOR HEMOGLOBIN ESTIMATION IN EAST-AFRICA

In many health facilities in east Africa, haemoglobin estimation is pe rformed using visual colour comparison methods. Efforts to establish c olorimetric methods face numerous constraints, including the unavailab ility of standards for quality control. In contrast, the alkaline haem atin D-575 method for haemoglobin estimation is a colorimetric method that uses primary standards prepared from pure, crystalline chlorohaem in. There is no significant difference in the accuracy of the alkaline haematin D-575 method and that of the reference haemiglobincyanide me thod (P>0.05), and the response of the alkaline haematin D-575 method is linear for serially diluted blood samples over the haemoglobin conc entration range 19.6-3.3 g/dl (r = 0.994, y = 1.,01x - 0.3) The mettle d has a precision of +/-0.3 g/dl (coefficient of variation = (1.8%) fo r whole blood, and is suitable for use with fixed-wavelength haemoglob inometers (lambda = 565 nm) or with colorimeters at lambda = 580 nm. S table quality control standards could be prepared at provincial, zinal , or reference laboratories and distributed regularly to outlying labo ratories.