title: Hemoglobinopathies in newborns from Salvador, Bahia, Northeast Brazil.
abstract: Hemoglobinopathies are hereditary disorders of the hemoglobin molecule with a high prevalence worldwide. Brazil has a prevalence of 0.1 to 0.3% of newborns with sickle cell anemia and 20.0 to 25.0% of heterozygous alpha2 thalassemia among African Brazilians. In the present study, we investigated the presence of variant hemoglobins and alpha2(3.7 Kb) and alpha2 (4.2 Kb) thalassemia in newborns from Salvador, Bahia, Brazil. Samples of umbilical cord blood from a total of 590 newborns were analyzed, of which 57 (9.8%) were FAS; 36 (6.5%) FAC; one (0.2%) SF; and five (0.9%) FSC. One hundred fourteen (22.2%) newborns had alpha2(3.7 Kb) thalassemia, of whom 101 (19.7%) were heterozygous and 13 (2.5%) homozygous, showing statistical significance for hematological data between newborns with normal alpha genes and alpha2(3.7 Kb) thalassemia carriers. The alpha2(4.2 Kb) thalassemia was not found. Frequencies found in the present study confirm that hemoglobinopathies are a public health problem in Brazil, emphasizing the need for neonatal screening and genetic counseling programs.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Pesquisas Gonçalo Moniz, Fundação Oswaldo Cruz, Salvador, Brazil.
authors.forename: Elisângela Vitória
authors.initials: EV
authors.lastname: Adorno
authors.forename: Fábio David
authors.initials: FD
authors.lastname: Couto
authors.forename: José Pereira de
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Moura Neto
authors.forename: Joelma Figueiredo
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Menezes
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rêgo
authors.forename: Mitermayer Galvão dos
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Marilda Souza
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Gonçalves
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D005312:Fetal Blood; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal / Q000032:analysis / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D015997:Neonatal Screening; D015995:Prevalence; D017085:alpha-Thalassemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*
chemical_list: D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal