Screening for neonatal hemoglobin-S in Abbottabad-a hospital based study

ABSTRACT

A total of 764 cord blood samples were analysed for Haemoglobin-S [Hb-S] from two hospitals of District Abbottabad. Half of the cases belonged to rural areas of District Abbottabad and Mansehra. The common ethnic groups/casts were Awans and Pathans. No case of sickle cell disease or other variant was found thus showing that Hb-S and other haemoglobinopathies are uncommon in this area. It is concluded that extensive screening of the local population as a routine is unlikely to be very frutiful; however, this may be done keeping in view the local population movement and the malarial trends in the area