Skip to content
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Menu
Home
About Us
Resources
Profiles Metrics
Authors Directory
Institutions Directory
Top Authors
Top Institutions
Top Sponsors
AI Digest
Contact Us
Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
medicine
The first five years of a preventive programme for haemoglobinopathies in Northeastern Iraq
Journal of Medical Screening, Volume 20, No. 4, Year 2013
Notification
URL copied to clipboard!
Description
Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of a preventive programme for haemoglobinopathies in a single centre in Northeastern Iraq. Methods: Premarital screening, genetic counselling and prenatal diagnosis (PND) were implemented over a 5 year period. Results: Among a total of 108,264 screened individuals (54,132 couples), b-thalassaemia trait, db-thalassaemia trait, and sickle cell trait were diagnosed in 3.98%, 0.11% and 0.07%, respectively. Of 130 at risk couples (2.4/1000), 107 (82%) were available for follow up, with 105 couples (98.1%) proceeding with their marriage after counselling. In the 125 registered pregnancies in the latter couples, PND was performed in 85 (in 80 couples, uptake 76%). Selective termination was chosen in 10 of the 11 pregnancies with an affected fetus. Six affected babies were born among couples who declined PND. At the same time 30 already married couples with at least one thalassaemic child underwent PND, revealing three affected fetuses; all three pregnancies were terminated. Conclusion: The programme revealed that most at risk couples diagnosed by premarital screening chose to proceed with their marriage, with 76% seeking PND followed by selective termination of an affected fetus. A 65% reduction in number of affected births was reported over the 5 year period. This regional programme could serve as a prototype for a national haemoglobinopathy prevention programme. © The Author(s) 2013.
Authors & Co-Authors
Al-Allawi, Nasir A.S.
Iraq, Duhok
University of Duhok
Jalal, Sana D.
Iraq, Sulaymaniyah
University of Sulaimani
Ahmed, Najmaddin H.
Iraq, Sulaymaniyah
Public Health Laboratory
Faraj, Azad H.
Iraq, Sulaymaniyah
Public Health Laboratory
Shalli, Awaz
Iraq, Sulaymaniyah
University of Sulaimani
Hamamy, Hanan Ali
Switzerland, Geneva
Université de Genève
Statistics
Citations: 22
Authors: 6
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1177/0969141313508105
ISSN:
09691413
e-ISSN:
14755793
Research Areas
Genetics And Genomics
Maternal And Child Health