Prevalence of Thalassemia and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency in Newborns and Adults at the Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.

Thalassemias and glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency are the most common inherited blood disorders. They are distributed among populations living in malaria endemic regions resulting in survival advantage from severe malaria disease. The aims of this study were to analyze the prevalence of thalassemias and G6PD deficiency at the Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.

Occurrence of the - -(SEA), - -(THAI) and - -(FIL) α-Thalassemia-1 Carriers from a 7-Year Study at Ramathibodi Hospital, Bangkok, Thailand.

α-Thalassemia (α-thal) is one of the most common genetic diseases in Thailand. Homozygosity of α-thal-1 (- -/- -) and compound heterozygosity of α-thal-1/α-thal-2 (- -/-α) leads to Hb Bart's (γ4) hydrops fetalis and Hb H (β4) disease, respectively. In order to better control and provide prevention of α-thal disease, the prevalence of α-thal-1 carriers and the types of genotypes in the Thai population should be known.

Activation of mononuclear phagocytes and its relationship to asplenia and phosphatidylserine exposing red blood cells in hemoglobin E/β-thalassemia patients.

Aged or abnormal red blood cells with exposed phosphatidylserine (PSRBCs) are cleared from the circulation by splenic macrophages. In asplenic patients, other mononuclear phagocytic cells in tissues and in circulation may function in this capacity. To better understand these changes and the relationship among splenic status, PS-RBCs, blood monocytes, and serum tumor necrosis factor (TNF-α), a product of mononuclear phagocyte activation, patients with hemoglobin E/β-thalassemia (E/β-Thal) were studied.