Hemoglobin H disease--ten years' experience

Eighty-eight patients with Hemoglobin (Hb) H diagnosed in our hospital in the past decade were reviewed. Among them, 37 were males and 51 were females, and their age ranged from 10 to 77 years. In physical examination, 43.3% of them showed to have jaundice, 47% had splenomegaly, 14% had hepatomegaly and 19.3% had gall stone. Hb electrophoresis revealed the presence of Hb H (1.4-40%), Hb F (23/88, range: 0.5-7.5%) and decreased Hb A2 (mean = 1.23 +/- 1.2%). The study of iron status showed increased serum ferritin concentration (mean = 421.4 +/- 343.7 ug/dl) and transferrin saturation ratio (53.9% +/- 20.5%). Hemosiderosis was found in three out of four patients received liver biopsy. Although most patients did not receive blood transfusion frequently, iron overload was not uncommon in the patients with Hb H disease. Further study would be needed to explore the true relationship between iron overload and Hb H disease.