Disease-modifying influences of coexistent G6PD-deficiency, Gilbert syndrome and deletional alpha thalassemia in hereditary spherocytosis: A report of three cases.

Background: Hereditary spherocytosis (HS) is a common inherited hemolytic anemia characterized by heterogeneous clinical presentations with variable degrees of anemia, jaundice, splenomegaly and gallstones. Although the underlying genetic defects in red cell membrane proteins may explain many phenotypic variations, a proportion of variability may be due to other co-inherited factors like enzymopathies, thalassemias and Gilbert syndrome. Associations of HS with glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency and Gilbert syndrome in isolation have been reported previously.