Genotypes of thalassemia in children: an analysis of 30 417 cases.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the distribution of genotypes of thalassemia in children in Guangxi, China. METHODS: A total of 30 417 children with positive results of thalassemia screening in the Maternal and Child Health Hospital of Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region from January 2011 to December 2019 were enrolled. Single-tube multiplex PCR, agarose gel electrophoresis, and reverse dot blot hybridization technique were used for the detection of common α- and β-thalassemia genes. Gap-PCR or gene sequence analysis was performed for 2 703 children suspected of rare thalassemia. RESULTS: ); 355 children were diagnosed with β-thalassemia double heterozygote, and 128 were diagnosed with β-thalassemia homozygote, including 93 children with α-thalassemia. CONCLUSIONS: /αα as the major genotype. There is a high proportion of children with both α- and β-thalassemia, and there are relatively high incidence rates of β-thalassemia double heterozygote and homozygote (intermedia and major).