Hemoglobin Lepore trait: globin synthesis in bone marrow and peripheral blood.

There was decreased synthesis of the beta-globin chain in the peripheral blood, and equal synthesis of alpha- and non-alpha-chains in the bone marrow of three patients with hemoglobin Lepore trait, similar to the findings in patients with heterozygous beta-thalassemia. There is a relative instability of the synthetic mechanism for normal beta-chain in these patients.