Genetic Diversity in Hemoglobins

Recent mass screening programs for sickle cell trait have been the first large-scale efforts to detect potentially deleterious genes and to provide genetic counseling to healthy carriers. In these programs, the expected prevalence of sickle hemoglobin and hemoglobin C has been found, and other mutant hemoglobin genes have also been uncovered. Many of these are not associated with disease, but simply reflect normal genetic diversity. A paradox of...