Lessons learnt in the screening and diagnosis of haemoglobinopathies

For this paper, cases reported formally and anecdotally to the authors in their screening and diagnostic roles have been selected to demonstrate areas where errors have occurred, and caution should be exercised. The cases demonstrate that it is vital that the performance and limitations of the techniques used, along with the phenotypic presentation of cases where haemoglobin variants and/or thalassaemias are coinherited are understood by those performing result interpretation. Those who deliver the service as well as those who receive reports and give results and counselling should be aware of the complexity of the topic.