Dataset Information

Case Report: β-thalassemia major on the East African coast.

ABSTRACT: Background: β-thalassemia is rare in sub-Saharan Africa and to our knowledge there has been no case of homozygous β-thalassemia major reported from this region. In a recent cohort study, we identified four β-thalassemia mutations among 83 heterozygous carriers in Kilifi, Kenya. One of the mutations identified was a rare β-globin gene initiation codon mutation (ATG➝ACG) (rs33941849). Here we present a patient with β-thalassemia major resulting from this mutation, only the second homozygous patient to have been reported. Methods: The female patient presented to Kilifi County Hospital aged two years with a one week left sided abdominal swelling. Clinical, hematological and genetic information were collected at admission and follow-up. Results: Admission bloods revealed marked anemia, with a hemoglobin (Hb) value of 6.6 g/dL and a low mean corpuscular volume of 64 fL. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed the absence of HbA0 and elevated levels of HbF, suggesting a diagnosis of β-thalassemia major. Sequencing revealed that the child was homozygous for the rs33941849 initiation codon mutation. Conclusions: We hope that this study will create awareness regarding the presence of β-thalassemia as a potential public health problem in the East Africa region and will prompt the development of local guidelines regarding the diagnosis and management of this condition.

SUBMITTER: Macharia AW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10551670 | biostudies-literature | 2022

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

ACCESS DATA

Publications

Case Report: β-thalassemia major on the East African coast.

Macharia Alexander W AW Mochamah George G Makale Johnstone J Howard Thad T Mturi Neema N Olupot-Olupot Peter P Färnert Anna A Ware Russell E RE Williams Thomas N TN

Wellcome open research 20220713

<b>Background:</b> β-thalassemia is rare in sub-Saharan Africa and to our knowledge there has been no case of homozygous β-thalassemia major reported from this region. In a recent cohort study, we identified four β-thalassemia mutations among 83 heterozygous carriers in Kilifi, Kenya. One of the mutations identified was a rare β-globin gene initiation codon mutation (ATG➝ACG) (rs33941849). Here we present a patient with β-thalassemia major resulting from this mutation, only the second homozygous ...[more]

PMID: 37811313

Similar Datasets

Project description:BackgroundThe frequency of the beta-thalassemia (β-thalassemia) gene in Indonesia ranges from 3 to 10%. However, in the East Java province, there is still limited information on the prevalence of β-thalassemia mutations in clinically diagnosed beta-thalassemia patients of East Java. Therefore, this study aimed to characterize β-thalassemia mutations in selected patients in the East Java province of Indonesia.MethodsThis is an analytical observational study. Diagnosis of β-thalassemia was based on clinical presentation, complete blood count (CBC), and hemoglobin (Hb) electrophoresis. Blood specimens taken from each patient in three ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) tubes were analyzed for CBC and Hb electrophoresis and processed for DNA extraction and subsequent polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Detection of mutations in Hemoglobin Subunit Beta (HBB) gene exons 1-3 of the β-thalassemia gene as the common mutation in Indonesia was done using PCR followed by Sanger sequencing.ResultsIn total, 33 (n = 33) participants were involved in this study with ages ranging from 5 to 17 years comprising 19 women and 14 men. Their ethnic origins were Javanese (n = 30) and Chinese (n = 3). CBC results showed that mean ± standard deviation (SD) for Hb, red blood cell (RBC), mean corpuscular volume (MCV), mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH), mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC), and red cell distribution width (RDW)-CV were 81.2 ± 7.0 g/L; 3.40 ± 0.39 × 109/L; 71.05 ± 5.72 fL; 24.12 ± 2.45 pg; 33.91 ± 1.47 g/dl; 24.38 ± 6.02%, respectively. Hb electrophoresis revealed that 5 out of 33 participants had beta-thalassemia and 28 out of 33 participants had hemoglobinopathy (Hb) E/beta-thalassemia. Results of Sanger sequencing showed the following genotype variations in the samples: 12 (36.4%) with β CD26 /β IVS-I-5; 6 (18.2%) with β CD26 /β CD35; 3 (9.1%) with β CD26 /β IVS-I-2; 2 (6.1%) with β CD27/28 /β CD40; 2 (6.1%) with β IVS-I-1 /β CAP+1; and β CD26 /β IVS-I-1; β IVS-I-5 /β CAP+1; β IVS-I-5 /β CD35; β CD26 /β CD37; β CD26 /β CD15; β CD26 /β CD40; and β IVS-I-5 /β CD19 in 1 (3%) sample, respectively, and 1 (3%) had no abnormality detected in sequencing even though electrophoresis showed abnormality in the migration pattern. The β CD26 /β IVS-I-5 mutation was found in samples that were noted to have Hb E/beta-thalassemia on Hb electrophoresis.ConclusionThe underlying genetic variations are heterogeneous in thalassemia patients in East Java, where 12 variants were found. The most common variant was β CD26 /β IVS-I-5, which all accounted for Hb E/beta-thalassemia on Hb electrophoresis. Furthermore, 28 out of 33 participants had hemoglobinopathy (Hb) E/beta-thalassemia.

Dataset Information

Case Report: β-thalassemia major on the East African coast.

Publications

Case Report: β-thalassemia major on the East African coast.

Similar Datasets

OmicsDI is part of the ELIXIR infrastructure

Tweets