Haptoglobin
How the test is performed:
Adult or child:
Blood is drawn from a vein (venipuncture), usually from the inside of the elbow or the back of the hand. The puncture site is cleaned with antiseptic, and a tourniquet (an elastic band) or blood pressure cuff is placed around the upper arm to apply pressure and restrict blood flow through the vein. This causes veins below the tourniquet to distend (fill with blood). A needle is inserted into the vein, and the blood is collected in an air-tight vial or a syringe. During the procedure, the tourniquet is removed to restore circulation. Once the blood has been collected, the needle is removed, and the puncture site is covered to stop any bleeding.
Infant or young child:
The area is cleansed with antiseptic and punctured with a sharp needle or a lancet. The blood may be collected in a pipette (small glass tube), on a slide, onto a test strip, or into a small container. Cotton or a bandage may be applied to the puncture site if there is any continued bleeding.
How to prepare for the test:
The health care provider may advise you to withhold drugs that may affect the test (see "Special considerations").
Infants and children:
The physical and psychological preparation you can provide for this or any test or procedure depends on your child's age, interests, previous experience, and level of trust. For specific information regarding how you can prepare your child, see the following topics as they correspond to your child's age:
How the test will feel:
When the needle is inserted to draw blood, some people feel moderate pain, while others feel only a prick or stinging sensation. Afterward, there may be some throbbing.
Why the test is performed:
Haptoglobin is measured as an indicator of the rate of red blood cell destruction (hemolysis).
Haptoglobin is a protein that is secreted into the blood by the liver. This protein binds free hemoglobin. The concentration of "free" hemoglobin (that is, outside red blood cells) in plasma (the fluid portion of blood) is ordinarily very low. However, free hemoglobin is released when red blood cells hemolyze for any reason.
After haptoglobin binds hemoglobin, it is taken up by the liver. The liver recycles the iron, heme, and amino acids contained in the hemoglobin protein. This process destroys haptoglobin as well as hemoglobin. In the presence of active hemolysis, the rate of haptoglobin destruction will outpace the rate at which new haptoglobin is created. Consequently, the concentration of haptoglobin in the blood will decrease. The magnitude of this decrease is a sensitive indicator of the extent of hemolysis.
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