Is it rare to see sickle cell anemia and beta thalassemia together?

Hello,

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1. As per your description, your friend seems to be having sickle beta-thalassemia. It is common to see both these diseases together in communities where both diseases are prevailing.
2. Actually, the severity of sickle cell disease comes down by the elevation of the HbF (fetal hemoglobin) component of hemoglobin which is seen in thalassemia. Thus, high HbF will decrease the complications of sickle cell disease.
3. It will all be dependent on the percentage of HbF, HbS, and other hemoglobin patterns present in the patient.
4. It would be more informative if you could share the Hb electrophoresis report along with the clinical condition in detail since birth for giving the details about the prognosis.