Clinical features and genotypes of patients with hemoglobin H disease in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: The genetic background of patients with hemoglobin (Hb) H disease in Taiwan has been investigated; however, the clinical features and treatment outcomes were not reported. Objective: To analyze the clinical features and genotypes of patients with HbH who reside in Taiwan. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the clinical and molecular characteristics of 38 patients with HbH disease who were undergoing treatment at Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Taiwan. Results: Initial Hb levels were lower and the numbers of patients requiring iron-chelation therapy were higher in the nondeletional HbH group than in the deletional HbH group (P