RESUMO
A prospective study of 1,254 cord blood samples was carried out from the 9th July to 10th August, 1984 at the Maternity Units of the Mount Hope, Port-of-Spain, San Fernando and Scarborough Hospitals. Electrophoresis on cellulose acetate and citrate agar was performed on 1,233 and 355 of the specimens respectively. Haemoglobins A, F, S and C and Bart's, separate on cellulose acetate, while citrate agar electrophoresis enables separation of haemoglobins S from D/O and C from E. Red blood cell indices were determined on 1,192 samples on the Coulter-S counter. HbA2 levels were not available to distinguish O-thallassaemia and á-thallassawmia. The overall incidence of haemoglobinopathy was 15.7 percent Hgb S was found in 9.9 percent of Negroes and 1.0 percent of Indians; Hgb C in 3.1 percent of Negroes and 0.7 percent of Indians; Hgb E was found in 0.2 percent and 0.4 percent of Negroes and Indians respectively. A minimal estimate for the incidence of O-thalassaemia in Negroes was found to be 3.1 percent with 2.2 percent in Indians. á-thalassaemia probably affects approximately 4.2 percent of Indians, and 2.9 percent of Negroes. There were significant differences in gene frequencies among the ethnic groups. Hence a significant number of babies are born each year with pathologically important haemoglobin disorders and thalassemia syndromes. The prevalence of these disorders does not reflect the annual birth rate of these haemoglobinopathies and hence suggests that many of the affected infants succumb to complications early in childhood. It would seem probable that the haemoglobino
