Hemoglobinopathies and thalassemias constitute a major cause of anemia worldwide.
Some of these disorders may necessitate chronic red blood cell transfusion therapy,
which frequently results in a host of serious clinical sequelae, including iron overload.
The following review attempts to offer a simplified approach to the identification
of the most commonly encountered hemoglobin disorders. In addition, practical comments
on reporting the results of hemoglobin studies and the expected clinical impact of
the various findings are discussed.
