Two decades trend analysis of the measures of thalassemia screening program in Tabriz County

Abstract

Major thalassemia is the most common genetic disease in the world. The most common areas of the disease in the world are known as the Thalassemia Belt, which also includes Iran. The purpose of this study was to determine the trend of indicators of thalassemia screening program in premarital counseling centers in Tabriz during the past two decades.

Method: In this retrospective study, information on thalassemia screening and caring for thalassemia carriers in Tabriz was extracted based on current forms used in the National Thalassemia Prevention and Control Program during 2006-2018. After data extraction, data were entered into Microsoft Excel software and described by using the number and percent.

Results: In total the detection rate for carrier couples was 4.9 per 10.000 couple which showed a reduction trend. From 2006 to 2018, 438 couples were identified as carriers or high-risk suspected. The rate of detecting the high risk couples was increasing. The rate of marriage cancellation in carriers was 31.9% in total. The rate of marriage cancellation was 13.01 in high risk and carriers. The referral rate for PND1 and PND2 was 35% and 10.5% respectively. The abortion due to diagnosed thalassemia during pregnancy was hardly registered.