Therefore, several attempts were previously made to identify the condition by a simple blood count with varying degrees of success. The early recognition of the TM condition in a patient will prevent unnecessary treatment and costly tests, and impede birth of thalassemia major children. All these techniques require special instrumentation, trained technicians and are of relatively high cost. Currently, the best methods to determine the existence of hemoglobin (HB) defects are high‐performance liquid chromatography, protein electrophoresis, and mutation screening by PCR and DNA sequencing 2. Heterozygous thalassemia condition, called thalassemia minor (TM), is often unrecognized and undiagnosed.
There are several thalassemia defects, all affecting the genes controlling globin production, and among them α and β thalassemia are the most common. The thalassemias represent the most common monogenic defect worldwide and are particularly prevalent in the Mediterranean region, Middle East, Southeast Asia, and some regions of Africa, representing a major public health problem in these areas 1.
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