This work considers hybrid automatic repeat request (HARQ) protocols on a fading channel with Chase combining and deals with both Rayleigh and Nakagami-m fading. We derive the packet loss probability and the throughput for HARQ both for a slow-varying and a fast-varying channel. We then consider link adaptation with complete channel state information (CSI) for which the instantaneous signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) is known and with incomplete CSI for which only the average SNR is known. We derive analytical formulae of the long-term throughput. These formulae are simple enough to be used for higher level simulations. We show that the throughput is slightly higher on a slow-varying channel but at the expense of a higher loss probability.