Prevalence of beta-thalassemia and sickle cell anemia trait in premarital screening in Konya urban area, Turkey

Thalassemias and sickle cell anemia (SCA) are common disease in Turkey. To determine the prevalence of beta-thalassemia and SCA traits in Konya urban area of Turkey, all couples applied for marriage procedures were screened. Screening tests included complete blood count and quantitation of hemoglobin for both partners. The subjects were considered to have the beta-thalassemia trait if they had a mean corpuscular volume of less than 80 fL and/or a mean corpuscular hemoglobin level of less than 27 pg and a hemoglobin A2 level of more than 3.2% or a hemoglobin F level of more than 2%. Subjects were considered to have an SCA trait if they were positive for sickle hemoglobin. During the study, premarital screening of hemoglobinopathies was evaluated retrospectively in 72,918 subjects; the thalassemia trait was detected in 1465 subjects (2%), and the SCA trait was detected in 37 subjects (0.05%). Of the carriers of the beta-thalassemia trait, 820 (56%) people had high hemoglobin A2, 513 (35%) people had high hemoglobin F, and 132 (9%) people had both high hemoglobin F and hemoglobin A2. Our results are very similar to Turkey's beta-thalassemia and SCA trait averages.