Thalassemia-hemoglobin C disease; a new syndrome presumably due to the combination of the genes for thalassemia and hemoglobin C.

IN PREVIOUS CO? -IMUNICATIONS’-3 the hematologic effects of the gene for an abnormal hemoglobin, since designated as hemoglobin C, were described in two combinations: A-C, an asymptomatic carrier state in which the hemoglobin consists of a mixture of A (normal adult type) hemoglobin amid C; secondly S-C, a variant of sickle cell disease in which sickle hemoglobin S is produced together with hemoglobin C. Another example of the interaction of genetic factors capable of modifying the structure of hemoglobin amid red corpuscles is microdrepanocytic disease4 ‘ which results from the (‘ombiliatiomi of the sickling gene and the thalassemia gene. The present report deals with st-ill another combination of al)normal genes, hemoglobin C-thalassemia. Evidence will be presented for the coexistence of these two genetic factors in ani inidividual in whose family examples of A-C and of simple thalassemia minor were found.