Prevalence and molecular analysis of β-thalassemia in Adiyaman, Turkey.

Thalassemia is one of the most common hereditary disorders in the Mediterranean region. We report here the results of a premarital screening carried out in Adıyaman in the southeastern region of Turkey, a region with a hitherto unknown incidence of β-thalassemia (β-thal). In order to detect β-thal carrier frequency and genotypes of carriers from the city of Adıyaman, Turkey, both high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) and the red blood cell counts of 1616 people who applied for premarital tests were analyzed.