epidemiology
Last reviewed 06/2021
It is the commonest genetic disorder in the world
- although a globin variant is seen in around 5% of the population, only 1.7 % has alpha or beta thalassemia trait (1)
- according to estimations from cohort studies, there are 1.5% (80-90 million people) carriers of β thalassaemia and 5% carriers of α thalassaemia world wide (2)
- men and women are equally affaected
- seen in approximately 4.4 of every 10,000 live births (1)
214,000 people in the UK carry the beta-thalassaemia gene
- it occurs in a very high frequency in a tropical belt extending from Africa, throughout the Mediterranean region, the Middle East, the Indian subcontinent, and throughout South West Asia
- they occur sporadically in every population
- it is possible that the heterozygote state provides protection against malaria, thus explaining its high carrier rate in certain populations
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