In conclusion, our results revealed that three Asian-specific chromosome 16p13.3 variants, namely NPRL3 rs191086839, LUC7L rs372755452, and PGAP6 rs375498857, exhibit strong LD and can be used as surrogate genetic markers for α-thalassemia or the α0 thalassemia --SEA deletion, with high specificity and sensitivity. Here, NPRL3 is linked to thalassemia.