Help needed with Blood reports Father/Son

Hi,

  Our 2 yrs son is anemic and and his doctor thinks he might be thal carrier. We have scheduled detailed blood test and genetic counseling for him.
In mean time I had asked my doctor to check for my blood to see if I am a carrier and following are the results
Hemoglobin 14.1
MCV          63.8
MCH          19.8
MCHC         31.0
RDW-CV      19.0

Hb A            95.2%
Hb A2          2.5%
Hb F            2.3%

Regards from Germany

Does it seem like Beta Thal with Iron deficiency?
Normally with Beta Thal , Hemoglobins A2 and F will be elevated on hemogram results.
If iron deficiency is concurrent with beta thalassemia trait there may be a normal Hgb A2. Iron deficiency causes decreased hemoglobin production.
Folate or vitamin B12 deficiency can lead to megaloblastic anemia with increased Hgb A2.

The RDW of 19 suggests iron could be low, but the normal Hb suggests iron isn't an issue. It would be sensible to have the full iron panel done to see if your iron stores may be low, in spite of the normal Hb.

Thanks Andy, We were at genetic counseling, but I was disappointed as the doctor did not have answers to my questions about the levels. She has taken blood again and we will have results again in 2-3 weeks. I have been to two general practitioners and they even couldnot read the results and said I was a bit anemic and needed Iron. I asked them to refer me to hematologist, but both have declined to do it.

Normally, the HbA2 will be high in beta minors, unless iron deficiency is present or alpha thal is also carried. With the higher HbF than normal, it does suggest that either iron or alpha thal is lowering the HbA2 level if it is beta thal, which the high HbF suggests.