title: Comparison of dried blood spot to venous methods for hemoglobin A1c, glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and C-reactive protein.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Compared to venipuncture, dried blood spots (DBS) can be collected by non-phlebotomists in non-clinical settings, is relatively inexpensive, more easily transported and stored conveniently. Disadvantages of DBS include difficult assay development and validation. This study compared DBS to venous methods for hemoglobin A1c, glucose, total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and C-reactive protein (CRP).
  
  
  METHODS
  DBS collection and venipuncture were performed on 401 participants. The DBS were collected on Whatman 903 protein saver card. For analysis, 3.2mm blood punches were placed into a 96-well microtiter plate for elution and then analyzed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Pearson squared correlation coefficients were high for hemoglobin A1c (0.92), CRP (0.84) and glucose (0.81) and low for total cholesterol (0.34) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (0.30). Sensitivity (>82%) and specificity (>90%) were high for CRP, glucose and hemoglobin A1c at selected clinical cut-points. Low sensitivity (<41%) and high specificity (>87%) were seen for total and HDL cholesterol.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The hemoglobin A1c, glucose and CRP correlated well between DBS and venous methods (r(2)>0.80), but there was a poor correlation for total and HDL cholesterol (r(2)<0.34). This resulted in low sensitivity of DBS methods for total and HDL cholesterol.
authors.affiliation: National Center for Health Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Hyattsville, MD 20782, USA. dol2@cdc.gov
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Lacher
authors.forename: Lewis E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Berman
authors.forename: Te-Ching
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Kathryn S
authors.initials: KS
authors.lastname: Porter
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000032:analysis*; D002097:C-Reactive Protein / Q000032:analysis*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D059788:Dried Blood Spot Testing; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin / Q000032:analysis*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D018962:Phlebotomy; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D002097:C-Reactive Protein; D002784:Cholesterol; D006442:Glycated Hemoglobin; C517652:hemoglobin A1c protein, human