Alpha-Thalassemia in Northern Thailand

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Abstract
The frequency of α-thalassemias in northern Thailand was estimated using DNA techniques. Among 106 healthy adult Thais from the Chiangmai area, 28 were shown to carry α-globin gene anomalies. There were 19 heterozygotes and 1 homozygote for α-thalassemia-2. One of the α-thalassemia-2 deletions was of the –α4.2 type and the remaining 20 of the –α3.7 type (subtype I). Deletions of both α-globin genes on one chromosome (α-thalassemia-1) of the Southeast Asian type were observed in 5 cases, and 3 α-globin gene triplications were identified. Compared with a previous report on α-thalassemia in northern Thailand which was based on the determination of hemoglobin Bart’s in cord blood, the present DNA study reveals a similar frequency of α-thalassemia-2 but a considerably lower frequency of α-thalassemia-1.