ABSTRACT
High incidence of alpha thalassaemias (estimated from detection of Hb Bart's from cord blood), Hb constant spring (CS) and high A2 beta thalassaemia trait (estimated from normal adult subjects) were detected in 12.6, 15 and 8 per cent people of coastal Orissa (with less than 5% tribal population) respectively. Quantitation of Hb Bart's suggest that the alpha thalassaemia could be any of the genotypes such as, -alpha/alpha alpha, -alpha/-alpha, --/alpha alpha and alpha alpha/alpha alpha cs. Both heterozygotes and homozygotes for Hb CS were identified.
Subject(s)
Fetal Blood/chemistry , Hemoglobins, Abnormal/analysis , Humans , India/epidemiology , Prevalence , Thalassemia/epidemiologyABSTRACT
Estimation of serum iron, total iron binding capacity (TIBC) and transferrin saturation was performed in 62 apparently healthy male medical students. All had haemoglobin over 140 g/1. Low serum iron, elevated level of TIBC and transferrin saturation under 20% indicating iron deficiency state was found in 2 subjects. Elevated values of TIBC was found in 25 (40.32%) students as evidence of latent iron deficiency. Such high prevalence of iron deficiency in an affluent group indicates widespread iron deficiency in the general population.
Subject(s)
Adult , Humans , Iron/blood , Male , Transferrin/metabolismABSTRACT
Haemoglobin fractionation in 27 subjects with sickle cell trait revealed 12 (44%) with sickle cell haemoglobin less than 35 per cent (23.4-34.2%, mean 30.4 +/- 3.3%) suggesting an association of alpha thalassaemia. Electrophoresis of 91 samples of cord blood revealed demonstrable amounts of haemoglobin Bart's in 7 (7.7%); six between 5 and 10 per cent and one with less than 2 per cent. It appeared that the six infants with higher amounts of haemoglobin Bart's were homozygous for alpha-thalassaemia + (-a/-a) genotypes and one was heterozygous for alpha-thalassaemia + (-a/aa) Results of haemoglobin electrophoresis done on 2754 blood samples analysed from hospital records, retrospectively did not reveal haemoglobin-H and haemoglobin Constant Spring in any of the samples.