THE INCIDENCE OF BETA-THALASSEMIA MINOR IN PREGNANT FEMALES BY MEASURING HBA2 THROUGH HIGH PERFORMANCE LIQUID CHROMATOGRAPHY

Objectives: The aim of the study was to study the incidence of thalassemia minor by determining HbA2 levels in pregnant females attending Obstetrics and Gynaecology OPD and HbA2 levels of husbands of positive females for beta-thalassemia trait. Methods: The prospective study spanning over 1½ years was conducted in the Department of Pathology in 1020 pregnant females who attended the Gynaecology and Obstetrics OPD of Government Medical College, Patiala for antenatal check-up. The pregnant females of any trimester without any specific sign and symptoms whose Hb level was <10 g/dL were screened in the study. Levels of HbA2 and HbF were determined by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the cases with raised HbA2 value above the cutoff limit (>3.5%) were labeled as BTT. Husbands of BTT positive females were also screened for the trait. Incidence of all these cases was calculated and analyzed statistically. Results: The majority of the females were in the age group of 21–30 years. In present study, we found that total 134 (13.1%) patients were having beta thalassemia trait. Husbands of all these positive patients were also screened for BTT and only 2 (1.49%) of them were found to be positive. Conclusion: HPLC has the advantage for screening and detection of various hemoglobinopathies by providing rapid and accurate results. HPLC can detect and measure HbF and HbA2 in a single system. Early diagnosis and management of thalassemia can help in reduction of burden on society as well as government