title: The distribution of hereditary erythrocytic disorders associated with malaria, in a lowland area of Nepal: a micro-epidemiological study.
abstract: Among four ethnic groups in a lowland area of Nepal, the prevalences of abnormal haemoglobin, thalassaemia, glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency, hereditary South-east Asian ovalocytosis (SAO) and Duffy blood-group antigen Fy/Fy were determined and related to each group's habitat. The group that has lived for many decades in a malaria-endemic lowland area, the Danuwar, was found to have a high prevalence of alpha+-thalassaemia (79.4%) and low prevalences of haemoglobin E and G6PD deficiency. Much lower prevalences of alpha+-thalassaemia were observed in the Newar (20.5%), Parbate (16.5%) and Tamang (8.8%), who, until the 1950s, all spent their hot-season nights in malaria-free areas at higher altitudes. No subjects with any other identified abnormal haemoglobin, beta-thalassaemia, SAO or Fy/Fy were detected.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Graduate School of Medicine, Osaka University, 2-2 Yamadaoka, Suita, 565-0871, Japan.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hamano
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Shirakawa
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Watanabe
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Endo
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sharma
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Jha
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Acharya
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nishiyama
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Fukumaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kobayashi
mesh_terms: D004912:Erythrocytes; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008288:Malaria / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics; D008297:Male; D009390:Nepal / Q000453:epidemiology; D013789:Thalassemia / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics