Incidence of haemoglobinopathies detected through neonatal screening in the United Arab Emirates

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Abstract
In January 2002, a pilot programme of neonatal screening for sickle cell disease was launched in the United Arab Emirates [UAE] in 3 districts of Abu Dhabi emirate. This paper reports the incidence of sickle cell diseases, other haemoglobinopathies and haemoglobinopathy carriers over a 12-month period using high performance liquid chromatography as a primary screening method. The overall incidence of sickle cell disease among 22 200 screened neonates was 0.04% [0.07% for UAE citizens and 0.02% for non-UAE citizens]. The incidence of sickle cell trait was 1.1% overall [1.5% for UAE citizens and 0.8% for non-UAE citizens]. Universal neonatal screening for sickle cell haemoglobin at the national level should be consideredCitation
Al Hosani, H., Salah, M., Osman, H.M., Farag, H.M. & Anvery, S.M. (2005). Incidence of haemoglobinopathies detected through neonatal screening in the United Arab Emirates. http://www.who.int/iris/handle/10665/116946
Relation
EMHJ - Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal, 11 (3), 300-307, 2005