The Spectrum of Different Types of Hemoglobinopathies and its
Distribution in Various Communities Attending the Pathology
Department of a District Hospital- a Study Based on HPLC Done
on Tribal and Non-Tribal Patients
Authors:
Mohit P, Deepika P, Srivastava AK
Author Affiliations
Mohit P Department of Pathology, Sonelal Patel Autonomous State Medical College
Aim: Hemoglobinopathies are a group of disorders caused by the presence of variant hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Although over 700 structural hemoglobin variants have been identified only three reach high frequencies HbS, HbC, and HbE. The tribes are vulnerable to many hereditary disorders including thalassemia. Which affect adversely the general health of an individual. This study investigates trends in hemoglobinopathies using HPLC in the tribal population where they are considered highly predominant. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study with 180 patients was undertaken to study the prevalence of different types of hemoglobinopathies in tribal patients using High-Performance Liquid Chromatography in the Pathology Department of the district hospital for a period of one year.
Results: Out of 180 patients diagnosed with hemoglobinopathies using HPLC, 46 cases (25.6%) belonged to the Tribal population and 134 cases (74.4%) belonged to the non-Tribal population. The different types of hemoglobinopathies observed in the non- tribal study group were β thalassemia major (27.2%), sickle cell disease (17.7%), β -Thalassemia major (11.1%), and sickle cell trait (8.3%). The different types of hemoglobinopathies observed in the tribal study group were β thalassemia trait (10.6%), sickle β thalassemia (5%), β thalassemia major (3.9%), and sickle cell disease (3.9%).
Conclusion: The tribes are vulnerable to many hereditary disorders including thalassemia. These genetic disorders adversely affect the general health of an individual. Concerted efforts are therefore required to identify their health issues. This study for the first time provides data on the pattern of the spectrum of hemoglobinopathies in the tribal population of eastern countries of India.