Screening of β-thalassemia trait and other hemoglobinopathies among blood donors in Punjab

Abstract

Introduction:Hemoglobinopathies are common genetic disorders of hemoglobin, which can be prevented by population screening and offering genetic counseling. The cumulative gene frequency of hemoglobinopathies in India is 4.2%. The carrier state for β-thalassemia in India varies from 1% to 17% with an average of 3.2%. The present study was undertaken to fi nd out the burden of hemoglobinopathies and spectrum of this disorders among the blood donors. Materials and Methods:The study includes 975 students between 18 and 25 years who donated blood, were screened for β-thalassemia trait and related hemoglobinopathies by highperformance liquid chromatography (HPLC) using Bio-Rad variant. Samples were also run on a hemato analyzer for red cell indices and peripheral smear for red cell morphology. Results: A total of 41 donors showed abnormal hemoglobin fractions in HPLC. Out of these, 32 (3.3%) were diagnosed with β-thalassemia trait, 8 (0.8%) with Hb-D Punjab and 1 (0.1%) with Hb-S trait. The frequency of β-thalassemia trait in the student from different geographical regions varied from 0.8% to 4.44%, being the highest in those from Punjab and frequency of β-thalassemia trait in different caste groups varied from 0 to 4.74%, being the highest in the student from Jatt Sikh community. Conclusions: A universal approach of screening for β-thalassemia trait should be included as a part of standard blood testing among the college students, premarital and of the extended family of thalassemics. Population group with high gene frequencies requires screening programs as well as increased awareness and education program to control the birth of thalassemia major. Abstract Access this article onlineWebsite: www.ijmedph.org

Utility of screening tools to differentiate beta thalassemia trait and iron-deficiency anemia - do they serve a purpose in blood donors?

“…They used Bayesian estimates in assessing the prevalence of BTT. Our results were similar to those of Kumar et al [16] in terms of BTT prevalence in Haryana and Himachal Pradesh.…”

“…Wide variation was present between frequencies of BTT according to the states of residence of the donor, but these were not found to be statistically significant (P＞0.05). State-wise prevalence for the state of Punjab (5.2%) which represented 36.5% of our study population was comparable with the study conducted by Kumar et al [16,11]. A higher prevalence in Punjab has been reported by Chatterjee et al (11.79%) [12].…”

“…Our finding of a significant association between the two is likely to be a result of the concomitant presence of associated family history of thalassemia in one-third of the donors, owing to the history of consanguineous marriage in the family. Religion-wise prevalence did not show any significant difference, as reported in other studies [11,12,16].…”

“…The overall prevalence of BTT in our donor population was 3.7%. Other studies from India have shown varied prevalence of BTT ranging from 1.53% to 9.59% [ 6 , 11 - 16 ]. A study conducted in school children found the prevalence of BTT to be 4.05% [ 6 ].…”

“…(4.4%) and Mohanty et al . (3.96%) [ 16 , 11 ]. A higher prevalence in Punjab has been reported by Chatterjee et al .…”