The Incidence of Minor β-thalassemia Among Individuals Participated in Premarital Screening Program in Ardabil Province: North-west of Iran

Introduction: The most effective way to prevent thalassemia is to screen for the disease at the population level and then to evaluate the molecularity of individuals. Considering the importance of minor β-thalassemia and its high prevalence in societies. Aim: to investigate the incidence of minor β-thalassemia among Individuals participated in Premarital Screening Program in Ardabil province: North-west of Iran. Methods: This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted on 39620 individuals participated in the national screening program for Minor β-Thalassemia. Of them 1925 cases had mean corpuscular volume (MCV) < 80 in one person or couple which referred to HbA2 concentration check. Results: Of all 1925 cases, 95 cases (4.93%) had HbA2>3.5 and defined as Minor β-Thalassemia. The total incidence of minor β-thalassemia among all participated people was 2.4%. Of thalassemia cases 48.4% were women and 51.6% were men. Of all β-thalassemia cases, 49.5% live in Ardabil city and rest of them live in other cities. Conclusion: Results showed that the prevalence of minor β-thalassemia in Ardabil province was lower than country average rate and a study should be done in future for exact estimation of the disease.