HB Q-Thailand-HB H disease in a Chinese living in Geneva, Switzerland: characterization of the variant and identification of the two alpha-thalassemic chromosomes.

Data on a 24-year-old Chinese male with Hb Q-Thailand-Hb H disease are presented. The hemoglobin variant was characterized by fast microprocedures, mainly by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Gene mapping analyses identified the alpha-thalassemia-2, which is associated with the alpha-Q chain, as caused by a 4.2-kb deletion involving the alpha 2 globin gene, while the alpha-thalassemia-1 anomaly was the common Southeast Asian type in which part of the psi zeta, the psi alpha, and the alpha 2 and alpha 1 globin genes are deleted.