β-Thalassemia in Pakistan: a pilot program on prenatal diagnosis in Multan

• Published in: Journal of pediatric hematology/oncology Vol. 34; no. 2; pp. 90 - 92
• Main Authors: Mahmood Baig, Shahid, Sabih, Dure, Rahim, Muhammad Kashif, Azhar, Aysha, Tariq, Muhammad, Sajid Hussain, Muhammad, Saqlan Naqvi, Syed Muhammad, Raja, Ghazala Kaukab, Khan, Tahir Naeem, Jameel, Muhammad, Iram, Zahra, Noor, Samia, Baig, Usman Raza, Qureshi, Javed Anver, Baig, Shehla Anjum, Bakhtiar, Syeda Marriam
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01-03-2012
• Subjects: beta-Thalassemia - diagnosis; beta-Thalassemia - epidemiology; beta-Thalassemia - genetics; Female; Genetic Testing - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Pakistan - epidemiology; Pilot Projects; Polymerase Chain Reaction; Pregnancy; Prenatal Diagnosis - statistics & numerical data; Pakistan
• ISSN: 1077-4114; 1536-3678
• DOI: 10.1097/MPH.0b013e31823752f3

Prenatal diagnosis (PND) of β-thalassemia has been underutilized in Pakistan because of a number of social and economic factors. National Institute for Biotechnology and Genetic Engineering Faisalabad in collaboration with Multan Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Radiotherapy Multan introduced free PND service for carrier couples of Multan district. Multan has a population of about 4 million. More than 170 couples registered for retrospective PND and in 2 years 105 PND were carried out through first trimester chorionic villus sampling. Almost 90% of these couples were unable to afford the cost of PND and would not have undergone the test as free service was not available. Monoplex and Multiplex Amplification Refractory Mutation System-polymerase chain reaction and genomic DNA sequencing were used for detection of IVS (intervening sequence)-I-5 (G-C), FSC (frameshift codon)-8/9 (+G), FSC-41/42 (-TTCT), IVS-I-1 (G-T), 619 bp deletion, and CD-15 (G-A) β-globin mutations. Eighty-one percent (85/105) couples analyzed were in a consanguineous marriage. Twenty-three fetuses were found homozygous mutant and all couples opted for discontinuation of affected pregnancies. More families are registering for PND after establishment of this free and accessible PND service.