Chao-Nan Lin, Bi-Ling Su, Yu-Ching Chen, Ming-Tang Chiou, Chi-Hsien Chien, Ting-Han Lin and Shu-Yun Chiang
Background: Artifactual changes in blood may occur when the analysis time is delayed or an incorrect sample storage method is used. These changes may seriously interfere with biochemical blood test results. In dog studies, glycosylated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) is a widely used biomarker for diabetes mellitus (DM) screening. However, the conditions necessary to maintain canine HbA1c stability in dogs have not been well-established.
Methods: The objective of this study was to detect and compare canine sample HbA1c levels before and after canine blood was stored at refrigerator (4°C) and room (25°C) temperatures for 1, 3, 5, 7, 10 and 14 days.
Results: Compared with the baseline values, the HbA1c concentrations remained almost unchanged until 10 days. No significant differences were calculated between the HbA1c values at different time points under the refrigerator temperature condition (P>0.05).
Conclusion: These data indicate that different types of storage and delayed analyses for canine blood samples do not affect HbA1c results.