Hematological phenotype and the type of beta thalassemia mutation in Brazil

Abstract

The type of beta thalassemia mutation found in heterozygous individuals is believed to influence hematological symptoms. Our data demonstrated that patients with the mild mutation (beta IVSI-nt 6) have a higher mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) than those with the severe forms (beta(0)039 or beta IVSI-nt 1), and the hemoglobin A(2) levels were lower in beta(0) mutations than in the beta IVSI-nt 6 mutation. However, in contrast to previous studies, we were not able to indicate MCH as a clear discriminator between the beta(0) and beta(+) mutations.20231932