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The Prevalence of the Rarer Inherited Haemoglobin Defects in Adult Jamaicans
Author(s) -
Ahern E. J.,
Swan A. V.,
Ahern V. N.
Publication year - 1973
Publication title -
british journal of haematology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.907
H-Index - 186
eISSN - 1365-2141
pISSN - 0007-1048
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2141.1973.tb01756.x
Subject(s) - persistence (discontinuity) , medicine , demography , biology , geotechnical engineering , sociology , engineering
S ummary . The prevalence of several haemoglobin defects, including the traits for β‐thalassaemia (0.8%), hereditary persistence of foetal haemoglobin (0.2%) and the abnormal delta chain haemoglobin, Hb B 2 (2.4%), were determined from the combined results of surveys conducted on adults in a suburban and a rural community. Mean Hb A 2 levels of 2.6 ± 0.4%, 5.3 ± 0.5% and 2.0 ± 0.2% were found in 639 Hb A homozygotes, seven β‐thalassaemia traits and three traits for hereditary persistence of foetal haemoglobin (HPFH), respectively. Levels of alkali resistant haemoglobin (A.R. Hb) ranged from 0.6 to 7.3% in the β‐thalassaemia traits and were 21.0, 19.0 and 16.0% in the three HPFH traits; the remaining 770 subjects in whom A.R. Hb was measured had a mean value of 0.6 ± 0.6%.