Case Report
Syahzuwan Hassan, Rahimah A
Abstract
Alpha-thalassemia results from a dysfunction of the α-globin gene. Types of mutations include large deletions and point mutations. The most severe form of α-thalassemia is hydrops fetalis, which is caused by homozygosity of certain types of either deletion or point mutations, and some cases were the results of a combination of both. Here, we describe three cases of homozygous α-thalassemia who continue to survive, all with hypospadias. The first two cases were 5-year-old twins that were diagnosed with homozygous SEA deletion and the first description of a 20- month-old child with the genotype of the homozygous Cd 59 (GGC>GAC) mutation of the HBA2 gene. Prognoses for any α-thalassemia mutation types that are known to lead to hydrops fetalis in male fetuses should be informed about the potential survival associated with hypospadias.