Haemoglobinopathies in Saharia: A particularly vulnerable tribal group of Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh

BP Urade; Nandini Bhattacharyya; CS Roy; Joy Das

Volume : VII, Issue : II, February - 2017

Haemoglobinopathies in Saharia: A particularly vulnerable tribal group of Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh

Bp Urade, Nandini Bhattacharyya, Cs Roy, Joy Das

Abstract :

Haemoglobinopathies are caused by abnormalities in haemoglobin molecule. Sickle cell anaemia (SCA), thalassaemia (Hbβ^T) and other variants of haemoglobin attribute to a major health problem in India. Of the several haemoglobinoapthic disorders, HbS, Hbβ^T, HbE and HbD are widely prevalent in Indian sub–continent. For the present study, 2 ml intravenous blood samples were drawn from 309(113 males and 196 females) Saharia PVTG inhabits in extremely remote area in Shivpuri district of Madhya Pradesh. Capillary electrophoresis of 309blood samples showed 17 individuals (13 females and 4 males)positive for haemoglobinopathies out of which 3 individuals found forsickle cell trait (SCT) and 14 for β –thalassaemia (Hbβ^T). That means 5.5 per cent of the Saharia population possess these twoabnormal hemoglobin genes.The result shows higher frequency of β – thalassaemia (4.53 per cent) than sickle cell anaemia (0.97 per cent) among the Saharia, a PVTG of Madhya Pradesh. This is a unique situation unlike any other tribal communities where the predominant of β – thalassaemia exists among the Saharia PVTG of Madhya Pradesh but the haplotype that is found among other communities is same or differs can only be ascertained at the molecular level.

Hematologic components such as WBC, Hb, HCT, MCV, MCH, MCHC, and PLT show higher mean values in normal individuals compared to Hbβ^T individuals except RBC and RDW. The MCH and MCHC components were considerably low in Hbβ^Tindividuals as expected.Since no data on sickle cell is available among the Saharia, the present study would pave the way to go in to deeper aspect of it so as to arrive at concrete conclusion on whether the HbS gene has got its unicentric origin by independent mutation or infiltrated.

To prevent and manage this disorder from spreading further in future generation, detection of this genetic abnormality through premarital age group and prenatal diagnosis is must and the government should make these tests mandatory and effectively for entire population.