A Review of Rare Hemoglobinopathies in Iran

Hemoglobinopathies are a group of genetic disorders of globin chain synthesis which are common in many countries including Iran. The hemoglobinopathies include hemoglobin D، S، C، Lepore، Setif، CS، Q، J and other hemoglobin chain disorders. By 2009، more than 900 Hemoglobin (Hb) variants were reported due to globin gene mutations that cause structural changes in globin gene products which ultimately affect the performance and stability of Hb. There is variation in the prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in different regions and ethnic groups of the country. Hemoglobin disorders are fairly common in Iran. It is estimated that 0. 5-1% of the Iranian population carries the genes for Hb abnormalities such as D، S، G and E. In this article، we reviewed 50 published papers on rare hemoglobinopathies from Iran.