Background: Beta-thalassemia represents a major public health problem in Egypt. carrier rate varies between 5.5% to ? 9%.Unlikely, most patients suffer from complications of blood transfusions, mainly viral infections transmission and iron overload.This study aimed at identifies thalassemia carriers among secondary school children in Faquos city, EL-Sharkia Governorate to be taken in consideration of prevention program of ?-thalassemia and to update carrier rate data at EL-Sharkia Governorate.
Methods: This was a prospective cross-sectional study conducted on 350 secondary school students in Faquos, Sharkia Governorate. All subjects were subjected to the following: Complete blood count, Serum ferritin level, Serum iron level, total iron binding capacity. Subjects with microcytic anemia were subjected to specific laboratory tests: High Performance Liquid Chromatography which include hemoglobin A2.
Results: Headache and pallor were the most common findings in all studied subjects.Investigations of all studied subjects (350) revealed that 200 (57.14%) subjects were non anemic , 150 (42.86 %) subjects were anemic. Among anemic group , 45 (12.85%) subjects had normocytic anemia and 105 (30%) subjects had microcytic anemia. Beta-thalassemia carrier rate was 10% among all the studied group. Beta-thalassemia carrier rate was 33.3% among microcytic anemia group.There was significant decrease in the mean value of red blood cells count, hemoglobin, hematocrite, mean corpuscular volume and mean cell hemoglobin in B-thalassaemia carriers compared to non-carriers among microcytic anemia.There was a significant increase in hemoglobin A2 level in ?-thalassemia carrier group compared to non- carrier.
Conclusion: Carrier rate among secondary school students in Faquos ,Sharkia Governorate was 10%.