Thalassemia in Black Americans*

Thalassemia in black Americans has been the subject of several clinical and laboratory investigations within recent years.'-:'The data presented here d o not differ significantly from those reports, but in some instances a prolonged period of observation and a large patient population have permitted speculation as to the natural history of these disorders.Both aand /3-thalassemia will be considered.a-THALASSEMIA Between 1960 and 1963, several investigators reported that an abnormally large proportion (4-10%) of hemoglobin Bart's was present in the umbilical *