Thalassemia is characterized by the impaired synthesis of globin chains due to disease-causing variants in α- or β-globin genes. In this review, we provide an overview of the molecular basis underlying α- and β-thalassemia, and of the current technologies used to characterize these disease-causing variants for the diagnosis of thalassemia. Understanding these molecular basis and technologies will prove to be beneficial for the accurate diagnosis of thalassemia.
Keywords: Thalassemia; α-globin gene; β-globin gene.