Premarital screening of haemoglobinopathies: Experience of the major centre of Diyala Governorate, Iraq

Abstract

Background: Thalassemia is the most common single genetic disorder. Being a preventable disease, the “premarital screening program” was established. The objective of the study was to determine the prevalence of Haemoglobinopathies among couples attending a center for premarital screening in Baquba center of Diyala governorate. Materials and Method: During a period of 1 year, 7000 couples were screened for hemoglobinopathies. Screened subjects were categorized according to variant frequency among them. HPLC done for each subject and the result analyzed statistically. Results: The prevalence of β-thalassemia trait was 2.45 (172/7000) with nearly equal proportions between male and female. HbD Punjab trait and sickle cell trait were less common. Conclusion: A relatively lower prevalence rate of heterozygous β-thalassemia has been present among the studied sample in comparison to prevalence figures from reports in the other governorate.