ABSTRACT
Across sectional study to determine the prevalence of the alpha-thal gene among sicklers attending the out=patient clinic at Mulago Hospital in Uganda was carried out during the period 19th December; 1994 to 31st January 1995 inclusive. one hundred and forty two subjects were recruited and studied. Blood collected on filter papers was analysed for alpha-thalassaemia using multiplex polymerase chain reaction techniques. Out of 142 patients; 110(77.5) had alpha-thal-2 deletion;while 32(25.5) patients had normal alpha globin genotype. The gene frequency of(-) among the sicle cell patients studied was recorded as 0.425; which is almost twice that recorded in other parts of Africa such as Kenya which was 0.26(Ojwang;1987). Almost all the patients with alpha-thal; (100/110) were heterozygous (/) whilst 10 were homozygous (_/_). A comparison of the alpha- thal and the non-alpha-thal groups suggested that alpha thal has little or no effect on homozygous sickle cell disease. Among patients more than sixty months of age; those without concurrent alpha-thal had a significant hepatomegaly of more than four centimetres as compared to those with alpha-thal. There is need for a larger longitudinal case controlled study to clarify further the effect of alpha-thal gene on sicle cell anaemia