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Disease of hemoglobin E: causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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The disease of hemoglobin E causes mild hemolytic anemia, usually without splenomegaly.
Hemoglobin E is the third most frequent occurrence of hemoglobinopathy (after HbA and HbS), it occurs mainly in Negroid and American people and people from Southeast Asia, while among Chinese it is rare. With heterozygous (HbAE), the disease is asymptomatic. In heterozygous patients with Hb E a and b-thalassemia, haemolysis is more pronounced than with S-thalassemia or in homozygous patients with Hb E; usually also has splenomegaly.
In heterozygous form (HbAE), routine laboratory testing does not reveal abnormalities in peripheral blood. With a homozygous form, there is a slight microcytic anemia with a predominance of target cells. The diagnosis of HbE is determined by hemoglobin electrophoresis.
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