Co-inheritance of haemoglobin A2' and beta-thalassaemia in cis

HbA2' is a haematologically silent delta chain variant that elutes in the S-region on high performance liquid chromatography. The major clinical significance of HbA2' is that failure to detect it might lead to failure to recognize beta-thalassaemia minor. Co-inheritance of HbA2' and beta-thalassaemia in cis has been described only once in a family from Suriname. We describe a new case of co-inheritance in cis of HbA2' and beta-thalassaemia in a family from Ghanaian origin with a HbA2' of more than 3%. Molecular investigation revealed the same mutations as in the family from Suriname, suggesting a common origin of both families.