Premarital hemoglobinopathy screening in Kocaeli, Turkey: a crowded industrial center on the north coast of Marmara Sea.

Abstract

The prevalence of β -thalassemia trait and sickle cell anemia trait was quite low as a reflection of the frequency of eastern and northern Anatolia and migration to Kocaeli from these geographic regions. Although frequency is low, chronic transfusion requirement, high cost of chelating, organ damage, painful crisis and other crisis, availability of stem cell transplantation for a limited number of patients with compatible sibling donors justify premarital screening studies even in less prevalent regions as Kocaeli.