Anemia in Pregnancy: Think beyond Iron Deficiency

We hereby describe a rare case of delta beta (delta beta)-thalassemia as a cause of anemia in a 2-month pregnant female who was diagnosed as homozygous delta beta-thalassemia after gene mutation studies. delta beta-thalassemia is an unusual variant of thalassemia with elevated level of fetal hemoglobin. Homozygous patients of this disorder, unlike beta-thalassemia, show mild anemia and give a clinical picture similar to that of thalassemia intermedia. However, delta beta-thalassemia heterozygotes clinically show the characteristics of thalassemia minor.