Hemoglobin (Hb) Agrinio is a rare non-deletional a-globin mutation observed almost exclusively in Greek, Spanish or other Mediterranean families. The clinical manifestations of a carrier of a single Hb Agrinio mutation (single heterozygosity) depend on the concomitant presence or absence of other mutations or variants in the beta, alpha or other modifying genes. We present a Greek patient harboring a Hb Agrinio variant plus the - -Med alpha deletional allele, having an infrequent severe form of alpha thalassemia, in contrast to the typical alpha thalassemic patient and requiring regular red blood cell (RBC) transfusions and chelation treatment. We also provide a concise literature review regarding alpha thalassemic hemoglobin variants and their molecular and clinical combinations. A phase 2, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, multicenter clinical trial to determine the efficacy and safety of luspatercept (BMS-986346/ACE-536) for the treatment of anemia in adults with alpha thalassemia with the participation of our center is currently recruiting patients (NCT05664737).
Keywords: alpha thalassemia; chronic hemolysis; hemoglobin (Hb) agrinio; hemoglobinopathy H (HbH); severe clinical manifestations.