Abstract
IN 1955 A Filipino couple had a premature fetus with clinical and pathological features of hydrops fetalis, but no iso-immune basis for the disease could be documented. The 1962 report of Lie-Injo and her associates in Indonesia describing homozygous α-thalassemia as a cause of nonimmunological hydrops fetalis<sup>1</sup>prompted reinvestigation of this family. Both parents and two living siblings were found to have laboratory features of heterozygous α-thalassemia. Although detailed studies of the hydropic infant's hemoglobin were not performed, we consider it likely that she represented another instance of homozygous α-thalassemia. The α-thalassemia gene reaches a high frequency in persons of southern Asiatic origin and also perhaps in the American Negro. Therefore, in some racial groups, this recently described disorder of hemoglobin synthesis may be a significant cause of fetal wastage. <h3>Materials and Methods</h3> Standard hematological methods were employed for hemoglobin and hematocrit determinations. The Coulter counter was used to
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
