How common is hemoglobin C trait?

How common is hemoglobin C trait?

How Common is Hemoglobin C Trait? Hemoglobin C is seen most frequently among people of African descent; one in 50 African Americans have hemoglobin C trait. It also is found in people of Middle Eastern and Mediterranean descent. However, it is important to note that people of all ancestries can have hemoglobin C trait.

How is hemoglobin C inherited?

Hemoglobin C is inherited from your parents, like hair or eye color. If one parent has hemoglobin C trait, there is a 50% (1 in 2) chance with each pregnancy of having a child with hemoglobin C trait.

How is hemoglobin C trait treated?

Treatment. Although hemoglobin C disease is a chronic condition, it usually doesn’t require any treatment. The anemia that develops is mild and rarely interferes with everyday life. Neither children nor adults need any special therapy, vitamins, or iron supplements to treat hemoglobin C disease.

What are the symptoms of hemoglobin C trait?

Most people with hemoglobin C disease don’t have symptoms. But they can have low red blood counts or anemia. This can cause fatigue, weakness, pale skin and other symptoms….For those with hemoglobin C who have symptoms, they may include:

  • Enlarged spleen.
  • Gallstones.
  • Episodes of joint pain.
  • Increased risk for infection.

Is hemoglobin C trait the same as thalassemia?

Hemoglobin C/beta-thalassemia disease is a more serious disease than CC. Children with hemoglobin C/beta-thalassemia inherit one gene for hemoglobin C from one parent and one beta-thalassemia gene from the other parent. The beta-thalassemia gene causes the body to make less than the normal amount of hemoglobin.

What does it mean to have hemoglobin C?

Hemoglobin C is an abnormal type of hemoglobin, the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen. It is a type of hemoglobinopathy. The disease is caused by a problem with a gene called beta globin. The disease most often occurs in African Americans.

What happens if both parents have hemoglobin C?

If both parents have hemoglobin C trait, there is a 1 in 4 (25%) chance with each pregnancy that the child would have hemoglobin C disease. People with hemoglobin C disease usually do not have any serious health problems, but could have mild to moderate anemia and should be followed by a doctor.

What does C trait mean?

What is hemoglobin C trait? The normal, and most common, type of hemoglobin is called hemoglobin A. Hemoglobin C trait is when a baby inherited one gene for hemoglobin A from one parent and one gene for hemoglobin C from the other parent. People with hemoglobin C trait are not sick.

What causes Haemoglobin C?

Hemoglobin C is caused due to mutation in the beta-globin chain in which glutamate (acidic) is replaced by lysine (basic) in the sixth position of the beta-globin chain. This mutation makes Hb C less soluble than Hb A, forming hexagonal crystals (HbC crystals as seen in the peripheral smear).

What causes hemoglobin C?