Prevalence and mutations of ß-thalassemia trait and abnormal hemoglobins in premarital screening in Çanakkale province, Turkey.

The prevalence of ß-thalassemia (ß-thal) carriers in Turkey varies according to region but in general it is 2.0%. Çanakkale is a city in the Aegean region of Turkey but no study about ß-thal frequency in Çanakkale has been published to date. In this study, we aimed to investigate the frequency of ß-thal mutations in this province. A total of 4452 couples (8904 individuals) applied for premarital thalassemia scans at the Çanakkale State Health Directorate Laboratory between January 2008 and June 2012 and scanning was done with high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Of 125 ß-thal carriers seen at the Medical Genetics Clinic, Çanakkale Onsekiz Mart University, Çanakkale, Turkey, for genetic counseling, 46 participated in the study. The remaining 79 patients could not be reached. The prevalence for ß-thal carriers in Çanakkale was identified as 1.4% (125/8904). One couple were both ß-thal carriers. ß-Globin gene analysis of 46 carriers found the total frequency of the three most common mutations was 45.6%. These mutations were found to be HBB: c.93-21G>A [IVS-I-110 (G>A)], 26.08% (12/46); HBB: c.17_ 18delCT [codon 5 (‒CT)], 10.85% (5/46); HBB: c.20delA [codon 6 (‒A)] 8.69% (4/46). This is the first report on the frequency and mutation profiles of ß-thal for Çanakkale. The incidence of ß-thal carriers in Çanakkale is below the average for Turkey. The most frequently observed mutation profile and rate of ß-thal in our region is different from the other regions of Turkey.

Are blood pressure values compatible with medication adherence in hypertensive patients?

BACKGROUND AND AIM: In the management of hypertension (HT), maintaining the medication adherence with treatment is as important as starting treatment. Studies have shown that the majority of patients taking medication do not reach their target values. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the patient medication adherence and blood pressure (BP) values and reflection to general well-being. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 259 primary HT patients. The patients with BP measurements completed the Medication Adherence Self-Efficacy Scale-Short Form 13 and the World Health Organization-5 (WHO-5) well-being index. A Holter device was attached, and 24 h BP monitoring was completed. RESULTS: The mean points for medication adherence scale was 29.2 ± 10.3 (1-40) and mean WHO-5 points was 13.7 ± 4.6 (4-25) for patients. Clinical mean systolic BP was 140.0 ± 12.6 and diastolic 84.8 ± 9.0 mm Hg, while 24 h mean BP was systolic 119.5 ± 10.6 and diastolic 73.3 ± 8.1 mm Hg. While there was negative correlation between medication adherence scale scores and clinical systolic BP (r = -0.171; P = 0.006), there was no correlation with other BP readings. There was no correlation with the WHO-5 score and clinical readings, though there was a positive correlation between ambulatory mean systolic and diastolic BP (r = 0.141; P = 0.023 and r = 0.123; P = 0.049, respectively). There was positive correlation between the patient's medication adherence scores and the WHO-5 scores (r = 0.141; P = 0.023). CONCLUSION: When clinicians assess medication adherence of patients, they should benefit from objective BP measurements and scales. Subjective and objective findings are important while making clinical decision.