Abstract

α-Thalassemia is a widespread inherited disease particularly prevalent in the middle East Asia population, including Iran. The aim of this study was to define the molecular spectrum and frequency of α-thalassemia mutations in prospective couples of Qazvin province. A total of 120,000 subjects were studied during 10 years (1998-2008). Individuals present with hypochromic and microcytic parameters with normalhaemoglobin α-2 (HbA2), without iron deficiency were included in the study. Molecular detection of α-globin mutations were performed by gap-PCR, reverse dot blot hybridization (RDB) and sequencing. Results show that six different kinds of mutations are present in this region. In 22 subjects, most prevalent α-thalassemia mutations were α^-3.7, followed by α^-20.5 and α^5nt. Most α-thalassemia couples had consanguineous relationships and Kordish ethnicity. In conclusion, in spite of relatively low incidence of α-thalassemia mutations in Qazvin province, the spectrum and frequency of mutations are different from other parts of Iran. It might be due to migration of several ethnic groups to Qazvin.

Key words: α-Thalassemia, mutations, prospective marriage couples, Qazvin