How to diagnose Hemoglobin E disease ?
How is hemoglobin E disease diagnosed? Many babies are picked up through state newborn screening programs. A diagnosis is usually made by looking at the red blood cells by doing a Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) test, which is commonly part of a Complete Blood Count (CBC) test. More specialized tests, such as a hemoglobin electrophoresis and iron studies might be done. These tests indicate whether a person has different types of hemoglobin. Genetic testing of the HBB gene can also be done to confirm a diagnosis.