α+-Thalassemia Due to a Frameshift Mutation of the α2-Globin Gene [codons 55/56 (+T) or HBA2: c.168dup]

We report a case of α(+)-thalassemia (α(+)-thal) trait in a Chinese-Canadian family caused by a novel frameshift mutation of the α2-globin gene, specifically the duplication of a single nucleotide at amino acid codon 56 [HBA2: c.168dup]. The mutation results in substitution of a termination codon (TAA) for lysine (AAG) at amino acid position 56.