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Jorg Fehr, MD
University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland

JAMA. 1981;245(20):2028.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

To the Editor.—

The article by Marchand et al (1980;243:1909) provides too much hope for a resurrection of haptoglobin determinations as a reliable indicator of hemolytic diseases. First, the introduction of any new or renewed diagnostic measurement should be based on a reliable diagnosis. In the case of hemolysis, the standard reference method to establish the firm diagnosis of a reduction in the RBC survival relies on studies with radiolabeled autologous erythrocytes. Since the reticulocyte count, on which Marchand et al based their diagnosis, is an unreliable method for establishing a hemolytic process,¹ at least in its milder form, their data lack the important prerequisite, and any conclusions derived thereof must remain in doubt.

Second, even using the most sensitive assay for haptoglobin determination, one has to respect the fact that hemolytic diseases are often accompanied by inflammatory processes. Being an acute-phase reactant protein, increased haptoglobin levels are—in our . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

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