A Rare Case of Hemoglobin E/Beta-Thalassemia and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Ibrahim Khamees; Ibrahim Mohammad Obeidat; Waail Rozi; Mohamed A Yassin

doi:10.7759/cureus.10332

A Rare Case of Hemoglobin E/Beta-Thalassemia and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Cureus. 2020 Sep 9;12(9):e10332. doi: 10.7759/cureus.10332.

Authors

Ibrahim Khamees¹, Ibrahim Mohammad Obeidat¹, Waail Rozi¹, Mohamed A Yassin²

Affiliations

¹ Internal Medicine, Hamad Medical Corporation, Doha, QAT.
² Hematology and Oncology, Hamad General Hospital, Doha, QAT.

Abstract

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a systemic autoimmune disease, with multisystemic involvement. Hemoglobin E/beta-thalassemia (HbE/beta-thalassemia) is the genotype responsible for approximately one-half of all severe beta-thalassemia worldwide. When beta-thalassemia and SLE coexist, SLE seems to have a more severe course. Here we report a 32-year-old female who presented with dizziness and fatigue was found to have severe hemolytic anemia with thrombocytopenia. Upon further evaluation, she was diagnosed with HbE/beta-thalassemia and SLE, which is a very rare association. In SLE patients, anemia usually results from the disease itself, but it is important to think of other coexisting conditions like thalassemia.

Keywords: hemoglobin e/beta-thalassemia; hemolytic anemia; systemic lupus erythematosus.

Publication types

Case Reports