Rare diseases · Sign or symptom
Persistence of hemoglobin F
HP:0011904
What it means
Hemoglobin F (HbF) contains two globin alpha chains and two globin gamma chains. It is the main form of hemoglobin in the fetus during the last seven months of intrauterine development and in the half year of postnatal life. In adults it normally makes up less than one percent of all hemoglobin. This term refers to an increase in HbF above this limit. In beta thalassemia major, it may represent over 90 percent of all hemoglobin, and in beta thalassemia minor it may make up between 0.5 to 4 percent.
Rare diseases that can present with this7
Very common80–99%
4The range is how often this sign appears among people diagnosed with each disease — it is not a probability of having any of them. Many of these signs also occur in common, non-rare conditions. A sign on this page is a conversation to have with a clinician, not a conclusion.
Part of the broader category
Also called: Increased haemoglobin F · Increased hemoglobin F · Persistence of haemoglobin F · Persistence of HbF
Tracking symptoms like this for someone? Eleplan keeps symptoms, diagnoses, medications and every specialist in one plan.
Start free with EleplanThis page uses the Human Phenotype Ontology (2026-06-23) — Human Phenotype Ontology Consortium, hpo.jax.org. Disease associations from Orphanet (INSERM), CC BY 4.0. Content is educational and is not medical advice.