Haemoglobin H Disease Among Chinese Residents

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Abstract
Six cases of hemoglobin H disease among 5 Chinese families in Taiwan were studied. The hematological findings resembled those of previous reports and included the occurrence of the electrophoretically fast H hemoglobin component; a slight elevation in the hemoglobin F; normal amounts of hemoglobin A2; diminished red cell osmotic fragility; and the presence of red cell inclusion bodies, target cells, poikilocytosis, and reticulocytosis. The patients exhibited varying degrees of anemia which in some cases caused little disability but which in 1 patient was sufficiently severe to cause death. The anemias were microcytic and hypochromic in 4 of the 6 cases. The severity of the anemia in the patient who died made classification difficult. The sixth case, a sister of the patient who died, had a normo-cytic hypochromic anemia.