title: Homozygous alpha+ thalassaemia in Zimbabwe: an unrecognized cause of hypochromia and microcytosis.
abstract: The prevalence of probable homozygous alpha+ thalassaemia in Zimbabwe was found to be 3.25 percent in a survey of hospital patients (n = 2,000), 7.6 percent in a Batonga village (n = 66), and 5.3 percent in 16 kindreds (n = 94) investigated for iron overload. The diagnosis was based on finding a reduced mean cell volume (MCV), reduced mean cell haemoglobin (MCH), increased red cell count (RBC), and a normal Haemoglobin. These cases usually had a normal red cell distribution width (RDW), and of three discriminant functions tested the MCV2 x MCH was the most useful. Iron deficiency was excluded in the community based surveys. The importance of recognizing these changes is emphasized so that inappropriate iron therapy is not given.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Chidoori
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Paul
authors.forename: V R
authors.initials: VR
authors.lastname: Gordeuk
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002648:Child; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015995:Prevalence; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000235:genetics; D015030:Zimbabwe / Q000453:epidemiology