RESUMO
Effective prevention of ß-thalassemia (ß-thal) requires strategies to detect at-risk couples. This is the first study attempting to assess the prevalence of silent ß-thal carriers in the Malaysian population. Hematological and clinical parameters were evaluated in healthy blood donors and patients with ß-thal trait, Hb E (HBB: c.79G>A)/ß-thal and ß-thal major (ß-TM). ß-Globin gene sequencing was carried out for 52 healthy blood donors, 48 patients with Hb E/ß-thal, 34 patients with ß-TM and 38 patients with ß-thal trait. The prevalence of silent ß-thal carrier phenotypes found in 25.0% of healthy Malaysian blood donors indicates the need for clinician's awareness of this type in evaluating ß-thal in Malaysia. Patients with ß-TM present at a significantly younger age at initial diagnosis and require more blood transfusions compared to those with Hb E/ß-thal. The time at which genomic DNA was extracted after blood collection, particularly from patients with ß-TM and Hb E/ß-thal, was found to be an important determinant of the quality of the results of the ß-globin sequencing. Public education and communication campaigns are recommended as apparently healthy individuals have few or no symptoms and normal or borderline hematological parameters. ß-Globin gene mutation characterization and screening for silent ß-thal carriers in regions prevalent with ß-thal are recommended to develop more effective genetic counseling and management of ß-thal.