Abstract

A total of 254 samples of homozygous sickle cell anaemia (SCA) and 71 of sicke -thalassaemia (SBT) from Jabalpur and its surrounding districts of Madhya Pradesh are screened for α + -thalassemia mutations (-α 3.7 & -α 4.2 deletion). The overall prevalence of alpha thalassaemia (-thalassaemia) is 39.4% in SCA and 40.8% in SBT while 39.7% in general. Heterozygous -thalassaemia (-/) and - 3.7 deletions are predominated in both categories (SCA and SBT). The Scheduled tribe (ST) populations of SCA (60.0%) and SBT (100.0%) are found to have higher prevalence of -thalassaemia followed by other backward class (OBC) group (54.2% in SCA & 44.1% in SBT). The heterozygous (-/) are higher in OBC (42.3%) of SCA and ST (57.2%) of SBT while homozygous (-/-) are higher in ST of both categories (22.9%in SCA and 42.9% in SBT). The α3.7 deletion is also higher in ST of both categories (48.6% in SCA and 85.8% in SBT). The -α 4.2 deletion is 13.5% in OBC followed by ST (11.4%) among SCA while 18.7% in others followed by OBC (14.7%) among SBT. The significantly lower mean MCV, MCH and MCHC values and significantly higher total mean TRBC are observed in -thalassaemia group of SCA. The homozygous -thalassaemia (-/-) group of SCA have significantly lower mean MCV and MCH than heterozygous -thalassaemia (-/). No any significant difference has been observed in mean haematological parameters between -thalassaemia and without -thalassaemia subjects of SBT.

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