Hematological profile of β-thalassemia minor in Tucuman

The beta-thalassemia minor is one of the most common genetic blood disorder and it represents the main cause of hereditary anemia. There is scant information in the scientific literature about beta-thalassemia minor distribution in Argentina, except for the provinces of Buenos Aires and Santa Fe. There is no published study of this disorder in the northwest of Argentina. The objective of this descriptive and explorative study is to determine the hematological and electrophoretic characteristics of a beta-thalassemia minor population in the province of Tucuman. A total of 52 patients with suspected thalassemia syndrome were studied; haemogram, reticulocytes, serum iron, hemoglobin electrophoresis, hemoglobin F and hemoglobin A(2) were performed. Forty-six percent of the patients presented a beta-thalassemia minor diagnosis, with the following findings: mild anemia with microcytosis and elevated Hb A(2). The hematological profile showed no significative differences with respect to age and sex, and it was similar to previous studies, published by different authors. The ethnic origins were as follow: Italians 58%, Spaniards 34% and Arabians 8%, with preponderance of the Italian population, similar to previous studies in Argentina.