Frequency of anemia in individuals with beta-thalassemia trait.

Abstract

Objective: To determine the frequency of anemia in carriers of Beta thalassemia Study Design: Retrospective Observational study. Setting: PAEC General Hospital, Islamabad, Pakistan. Period: 1^st January 2022 to 30^th June 2022. Methods: In this descriptive study, 131 carriers of Beta-thalassemia trait, diagnosed by hemoglobin electrophoresis on cellulose acetate membrane at alkaline pH, of any age and both genders were included. Complete blood counts were performed by hematology analyzer of Sysmex XN-1000 to determine hemoglobin level and red blood cell indices i.e. mean corpuscular volume. The studied parameters included hemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume as quantitative variables. Severity and type of anemia were the qualitative variables of this study and were expressed in terms of frequency and percentages. SPSS 19 version software was used for data analysis. Results: 131 carriers of Beta-thalassemia traits were included in study. 58 (44.27%) were males while 73 (55.73%) were females, male to female ratio being 1: 1.3. Of 131 beta thalassemia traits 67 (51.15%) were found to be anemic while 64 (48.85%) had normal hemoglobin for given age and gender. The mean corpuscular volume of anemic and non-anemics was 59.54+5.82 fl and 63.70+6.95 fl respectively. Mean hemoglobin level of anemic Beta-thalassemia traits was 9.42+1.05 g/dl while non-anemic patients was 12.12+1.39 g/dl. Conclusion: Burden of anemia among carriers of Beta-thalassemia traits is high. Understanding the prevalence of anemia in individuals with the trait is crucial for optimizing healthcare interventions and improving the quality of life for affected individuals.