α-Thalassemia (α-thal) is a common hemoglobinopathy mainly caused by deletion of one or both α-globin genes. We describe an autochthonous Belgian family diagnosed with α-thal trait. Molecular analysis Show more
α-Thalassemia (α-thal) is a common hemoglobinopathy mainly caused by deletion of one or both α-globin genes. We describe an autochthonous Belgian family diagnosed with α-thal trait. Molecular analysis revealed a novel large deletion of at least 170 kb between 226.68 kb (0.2 Mb) and 402.68 kb (0.4 Mb) from the telomere of 16p, leaving the subtelomeric region intact. The deletion includes both α-globin genes ( Show less