β-globin gene cluster haplotypes in sickle cell patients from Panamá.

Objective: To analyze the frequency of the haplotypes of β-globin gene cluster in randomly selected patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), attended in the Children's Hospital of Panama.

Methods: Five polymorphic sites in the β-globin gene cluster were analyzed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) followed by restriction digestion and agarose gel electrophoresis in a total of 100 patients, including 95 homozygous for HbS (sickle cell anemia) and 5 compound heterozygotes for HbS and HbC genes (HbSC disease).

Results: The Bantu haplotype was predominant with a frequency of 51%, followed by the Benin (30%), Senegal (8.