Published online by Cambridge University Press: 18 September 2015
The hypothesis that an abnormal oxygen-hemoglobin dissociation curve is a primary or a secondary defect in patients with Friedreich's ataxia was investigated in 12 subjects with this disease. Hemoglobin and P50 were measured and compared with age and sex matched controls. The mean hemoglobin concentration was 14.2 g% and the P50 was 26.25 ton for the patients and 13.8 g% and 26.27 ton in the controls. These results indicate that the oxygen transport system is normal in this disease and likely exclude an abnormal oxygen dissociation curve as a primary or a secondary factor in the pathophysiology of the cardiomyopathy and the neuromyopathy found in this disease.