Pattern of the haemoglobinopathy in the endemic and nearby provinces in Thailand, a note from then GIS pattern.
In Thailand, high prevalence of haemoglobin disorders has been reported. Millions of Thai people suffer from these diseases. This problem affects not only public health but also the economy of the country. Carrier detection, genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis should be encouraged. Most of the programmes have been launched to the endemic provinces in the southern part of northeastern region of Thailand. However, due to the recent industrialisation in Thailand, the migration of the Thai population affects the pattern of haemoglobin disorder in this area. Here, the author performs a spatial analysis by Geographical Information System (GIS) using ArcExplorer Program on the database of the recorded prevalence of haemoglobin disorder in the endemic area and nearby provinces. The drift of the high prevalence from the central endemic area to the nearby provinces can be seen and support the migration effect of the population. Of interest, this observation can support the recent report on the rising prevalence of haemoglobin disorders in the non-endemic area of Thailand.
Department of Laboratory Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, Thailand 10330.
Viroj
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Wiwanitkit
D019353:Endemic Diseases; D040362:Geographic Information Systems; D006453:Hemoglobinopathies / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D015995:Prevalence; D013785:Thailand / Q000453:epidemiology