Hemoglobin H Associated with an Uncommon Variant of Thalassemia Trait

A 26 year old American housewife of Sardinian extraction with chronic hypochromic anemia was found to have a hemoglobin component identical to hemoglobin H. The A₂ hemoglobin fraction was decreased. Relatives were found to exhibit the hematologic features of thalassemia trait. In this pedigree, in contrast to the usual finding in the "thalassemia trait," the A₂ values were not increased. The same observation had been made in the only other comparable report.