Why do I need hemoglobin electrophoresis?
You may need testing if you have symptoms of a hemoglobin disorder. These include:
Fatigue
Pale skin
Jaundice, a condition that causes your skin and eyes to turn yellow
Severe pain (sickle cell disease)
Growth problems (in children)
If you've just had a baby, your newborn will be tested as part of a newborn screening. Newborn screening is a group of tests given to most American babies shortly after birth. The screening checks for a variety of conditions. Many of these conditions can be treated if found early.
You may also want testing if you are at risk for having a child with sickle cell disease or another inherited hemoglobin disorder. Risk factors include:
Family history
Ethnic background
In the United States, most people with sickle cell disease are of African ancestry.
Thalassemia, another inherited hemoglobin disorder, is most common among people of Italian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Southern Asian, and African descent.
