Sickle Cell Anemia Hemoglobinopathies are a group of hereditary disorders caused by inherited mutations that lead to structural abnormalities in hemoglobin. Sickle cell anemia, the prototypic hemoglobinopathy, is caused by a mutation in B-globin that creates hemoglobin (HLS) . Numerous other hemoglobinopathies have been described, but these are infrequent and beyond the scope of this discussion. Sickle cell anemia is the most common familial hemolytic anemia. In parts of Africa where malaria is endemic, the gene frequency approaches 30% as a result of a protective effect against Plasmodium falciparum malaria. In the United States, approximately 8% of blacks are heterozygous HbS carriers, and about 1 in 600 have sickle cell anemia. Pathogenesis Sickle cell anemia is caused by a single amino acid substitution in β-globin that results in a tendency for deoxygenated HbS to self-associate into polymers. Normal hemoglobins are tetramers composed of two pairs of similar chains. On average, th...