Hemoglobin variants are mutant forms of hemoglobin

Hemoglobin

Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of all vertebrates, with the exception of the fish family Channichthyidae, as well as the tissues of some invertebrates...

 in a population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 (usually of humans), caused by variations in genetics. Some well-known hemoglobin variants such as sickle-cell anemia are responsible for diseases, and are considered hemoglobinopathies. Other variants cause no detectable pathology

Pathology

Pathology is the precise study and diagnosis of disease. The word pathology is from Ancient Greek , pathos, "feeling, suffering"; and , -logia, "the study of". Pathologization, to pathologize, refers to the process of defining a condition or behavior as pathological, e.g. pathological gambling....

, and are thus considered non-pathological variants.

List of known hemoglobin variants

• Hb Kansas (β102 Asn>Thr)
• Hb S
• Hb C
  Hemoglobin C
  Hemoglobin C is an abnormal hemoglobin with substitution of a lysine residue for a glutamic acid residue at the 6th position of the β-globin chain.-Clinical significance:...
  
  
• Hb E
• Hb D-Punjab
• Hb O-Arab
• Hb G-Philadelphia
• Hb Hasharon
• Hb Korle-Bu
• Hb Lepore
• Hb M

External links

• A syllabus of hemoglobin variants
• Understanding hemoglobin variants