Investigation on the Distribution of Common Thalassemias in Various Cities and Counties under the Jurisdiction of Chongzuo City, Guangxi

Objective: To understand the distribution of thalassemia in all districts under the jurisdiction of Chongzuo City. Methods: Collect blood routine indicators from May 2014 to 31 December 2020 in the districts of this city to screen out suspected Mediterranean patients for genetic diagnosis; GGAP-PCR and PCR-reverse dot hybridization were used to analyze the thalassemia gene in the specimens of suspected patients; compare the prevalence of thalassemia in the counties and cities within the jurisdiction of this city, and provide corresponding medical advice to the health authorities. Results: 21,535 venous blood specimens from patients with suspected thalassemia were collected in the city. There were 14,215 positive cases of thalassemia, accounting for 66.01% of the total number of patients, among which 9455 cases (43.91%) were pure α gene positive. 3464 patients (16.09%) were positive for simple β gene. 1296 patients (6.02%) were positive for αβ double gene. The proportions of thalassemia gene testing for α-thalassaemia gene, β-thalassaemia gene, and α-β double gene in various counties and districts were different. According to the multiple rate or the chi-square test of the constituent ratio, the comparison of the distribution of the thalassaemia gene test results in each area, χ2 = 472.6917, P = 0.0000, the difference is statistically significant. Conclusion: Severe thalassemia is a tragedy for a family. It not only needs to spend a lot of money to prolong life, but it also cannot change the situation of losing life and financial emptiness in the end. It is suggested that timely screening, timely diagnosis and medical consultation should be carried out in married and unborn families and early pregnancy, so as to reduce the birth of children with severe thalassemia and avoid the occurrence of tragedies.