Pls help! Confused about test results

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Pls help! Confused about test results
« on: November 03, 2017, 08:32:44 AM »
Hello all, I'm being checked for Thalassemia and was wondering if anyone can help memake sense of my blood test results. I've got a week and half wait for my doctor and I'm really worried.

Haemoglobin F level- 14.5% [0.5-2.2 range]

Haemoglobin A2 level- 2.2% [0.5-3.5 range]

Raised Hb, normal Hct and low MCV

Is it thalassemia or not? So confused

Re: Pls help! Confused about test results
« Reply #1 on: November 03, 2017, 08:33:49 AM »
Also my dad possibly has thalassemia minor or sickle cell anemia but not sure which as he doesn't want to talk about it.

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Offline Andy Battaglia

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Re: Pls help! Confused about test results
« Reply #2 on: November 11, 2017, 06:17:45 PM »
It may be hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin, HPFH, which is a benign condition that causes the HbF to continue to be produced after birth. This is often found in the same ethnic groups that carry thal. Your low HbA2 does not indicate beta thal and an alpha thal does not have high HbF. The higher than normal hemoglobin also suggests HPFH. However, the low MCV suggest the possibility of delta beta thalassemia, which would also result in the high HbF level.
The two conditions have very similar characteristics, so it is not easy to differentiate between the two. Neither causes any health concerns. If sickle cell was present, you should see some HbS measured in the electrophoresis. HPFH and sickle combined can also give similar HbF numbers, but HbS should be visible on the electrophoresis if it was present.
Andy

All we are saying is give thals a chance.

 

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