Hemoglobinopathies are diseases caused by the production of abnormal hemoglobin or by a deficiency of hemoglobin synthesis. Hemoglobin is the protein in red blood cells (erythrocytes) that binds to oxygen, to distribute it throughout the body. The major hemoglobinopathies are sickle cell disease and several forms of thalassemia.

Hemoglobin Structure and Function

In the lungs, where oxygen concentration is high, each hemoglobin molecule can bind with one molecule of oxygen. The erythrocyte containing the hemoglobin then travels through the bloodstream to the body's cells, where oxygen concentration is low, and the hemoglobin releases the oxygen for use by local tissue. It also picks up carbon dioxide, and this waste product is transported back to the lungs, where it can be released and exhaled.

Hemoglobin is made up of heme and globin. Heme is an iron-containing pigment that binds to oxygen. Globin, which holds the heme and influences how...