title: Alpha-thalassemia: Hb H disease and Hb Barts hydrops fetalis.
abstract: alpha-Thalassemia mutations are one of the most common mutations of man, and they cause Hb H disease and Hb Barts hydrops fetalis. Hb H disease is not necessarily a benign disorder as has been generally thought. Furthermore, in southern China and in Southeast Asia, there are 2-3 times more fetuses afflicted with the invariably fatal Hb Barts hydrops fetalis than with the beta-thalassemia major or intermedia. These findings underscore the public health importance of these hereditary disorders, and they call for better education, diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and research for these diseases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine and Pathology, Boston University School of Medicine, 88 East Newton Street, Boston, MA 02118, USA. david.chui@bmc.org
authors.forename: David H K
authors.initials: DH
authors.lastname: Chui
mesh_terms: D001210:Asia, Southeastern / Q000453:epidemiology; D002681:China / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D005313:Fetal Death / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D005315:Fetal Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis; D005544:Forecasting; D005787:Gene Frequency; D005838:Genotype; D005914:Globins / Q000235:genetics; D006266:Health Education; D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal / Q000235:genetics; D006801:Humans; D015160:Hydrops Fetalis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007391:International Cooperation; D008297:Male; D009154:Mutation; D011247:Pregnancy; D011250:Pregnancy Complications, Hematologic; D011256:Pregnancy Outcome; D011296:Prenatal Diagnosis; D012106:Research / Q000191:economics / Q000458:organization & administration; D012306:Risk; D017384:Sequence Deletion; D050497:Stillbirth / Q000453:epidemiology; D017085:alpha-Thalassemia / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000517:prevention & control
chemical_list: D006455:Hemoglobins, Abnormal; D005914:Globins; C030448:hemoglobin Bart's