What is the most common inherited hemolytic anemia?

Hereditary spherocytosis is indeed the most common inherited hemolytic anemia. This condition is caused by defects in the proteins that make up the red blood cell membrane, leading to the formation of spherically shaped red blood cells rather than the normal biconcave shape. These abnormal spherocytes are less flexible and more prone to destruction in the spleen, resulting in hemolytic anemia.

Patients with hereditary spherocytosis often present with symptoms like jaundice, splenomegaly, and reticulocytosis due to the increased turnover of red blood cells. A family history can be common, as this condition is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner, affecting both males and females equally.

In contrast, thalassemia primarily involves a quantitative deficiency of hemoglobin and results in microcytic anemia due to ineffective erythropoiesis and hemolysis but is not the most common inherited hemolytic anemia. G6PD deficiency is an X-linked recessive disorder that leads to hemolytic anemia under oxidative stress but is less common than hereditary spherocytosis as a cause of inherited hemolytic anemia. Sickle cell anemia results from a qualitative defect in hemoglobin and, while common,