Hemoglobinas anormais em sangue de cordão umbilical
Abnormal hemoglobins in umbilical cord blood
Rev. bras. hematol. hemoter; 28 (1), 2006
Publication year: 2006
Hemoglobin pathologies are heterogeneous groups of recessively inherited disorders, which include thalassemias and falciform-related diseases. A falciform-related Illness is a generic term for the family of hemoglobin pathologies characterized by the presence of hemoglobin S (Hb S). Brazil is a country with a significant ethnical admixture, in which the colonization process played a great role on the spread of abnormal genes, specifically thalassemias and sickle cell disease. The mutations that give origin to these diseases are specific to some regions; in many cases determined by ethnical and geographical distributions. This knowledge serves as a basis for control programs and genetic counseling. This study evaluated the presence of abnormal hemoglobins in newborn children using alkaline electrophoresis in cellulose acetate and shows their incidence among the Uberaba population. Control samples of Hb FS and Hb FC were used, as well as Hb AF. From a total of 506 newborn children, 485 presented with normal hemoglobins and 21 presented with abnormal hemoglobins. Prevention of hemoglobin pathologies is important to detect heterozygotes and to explain about the alteration that they carry and the probability of transmission to their offspring.