title: The prevalence and spectrum of alpha and beta thalassaemia in Guangdong Province: implications for the future health burden and population screening.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Thalassaemia is a good candidate disease for control by preventive genetic programmes in developing countries. Accurate population frequency data are needed for planning the control of thalassaemia in the high risk Guangdong Province of southern China.
  
  
  METHODS
  In total, 13397 consecutive samples from five geographical areas of Guangdong Province were analysed for both haematological and molecular parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was a high prevalence of carriers of alpha thalassaemia (8.53%), beta thalassaemia (2.54%), and both alpha and beta thalassaemia (0.26%). Overall, 11.07% of the population in this area were heterozygous carriers of alpha and beta thalassaemia. The mutation spectrum of alpha and beta thalassaemia and its constitution were fully described in this area. This study reports the true prevalence of silent alpha thalassaemia in the southern China population for the first time. In addition, two novel mutations that give rise to alpha thalassaemia, one deletion resulting in beta thalassaemia, and a rare deletion (--(THAI) allele) previously unreported in mainland China were detected. The frequency of the most common mutation, the Southeast Asian type of deletion (--(SEA), accounting for 48.54% of all alpha thalassaemias) was similar to the total of two alpha(+) thalassaemia deletions (-alpha(3.7) and -alpha(4.2), accounting for 47.49% of alpha thalassaemia).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Both alpha and beta thalassaemia are widely distributed in Guangdong Province of China. The knowledge gained in this study will enable the projected number of pregnancies at risk to be estimated and a screening strategy for control of thalassaemia to be designed in this area.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Genetics, First Military Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, Guangdong, PR China. gzxuxm@pub.guangzhou.gd.cn
authors.forename: X M
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Xu
authors.forename: Y Q
authors.initials: YQ
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: G X
authors.initials: GX
authors.lastname: Luo
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liao
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: P Y
authors.initials: PY
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: S Q
authors.initials: SQ
authors.lastname: Jia
authors.forename: G F
authors.initials: GF
authors.lastname: Xiao
authors.forename: X
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Shen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: H P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Xia
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wen
authors.forename: Q H
authors.initials: QH
authors.lastname: Mo
authors.forename: W D
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: Y Y
authors.initials: YY
authors.lastname: Li
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Zhuo
authors.forename: Z Q
authors.initials: ZQ
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: Y J
authors.initials: YJ
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: C H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Qin
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Zhong
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005820:Genetic Testing / Q000379:methods; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006579:Heterozygote; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D020380:Needs Assessment; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D011247:Pregnancy; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis / Q000379:methods; D015995:Prevalence; D017085:alpha-Thalassemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D017086:beta-Thalassemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics
chemical_list: D005914:Globins