Haemoglobin LeporeBaltimore in a Spanish family

Description of the clinical, haematological and biochemical aspects of a new family with heterozygous haemoglobin LeporeBaltimore. Of the 6 members affected. 4 were totally asymptomatic. All of them showed morphologic features of heterozygous beta-thalassaemia. The levels of haemoglobin Lepore ranged from 12.2 to 15% (mean value: 13.7 +/- 1.1%). The analysis of the primary structure of the haemoglobin shows that crossing over takes place between amino acid 50 of the delta-chain and amino acid 86 of the beta-chain. This is the third family, to our knowledge, with haemoglobin LeporeBaltimore so far described.