| Autor: |
Neema Mturi, Alexander W. Macharia, George Mochamah, Anna Färnert, Thad Howard, Thomas N. Williams, Russell E. Ware, Johnstone Makale, Peter Olupot-Olupot |
| Jazyk: |
angličtina |
| Rok vydání: |
2022 |
| Předmět: |
|
| Zdroj: |
Wellcome Open Research, Vol 7 (2022) |
| Druh dokumentu: |
article |
| ISSN: |
2398-502X |
| DOI: |
10.12688/wellcomeopenres.17907.1 |
| Popis: |
Background: β-thalassemia is rare in sub-Saharan Africa and to our knowledge there has been no case of homozygous β-thalassemia major reported from this region. In a recent cohort study, we identified four β-thalassemia mutations among 83 heterozygous carriers in Kilifi, Kenya. One of the mutations identified was a rare β-globin gene initiation codon mutation (ATG➝ACG) (rs33941849). Here we present a patient with β-thalassemia major resulting from this mutation, only the second homozygous patient to have been reported. Methods: The female patient presented to Kilifi County Hospital aged two years with a one week left sided abdominal swelling. Clinical, hematological and genetic information were collected at admission and follow-up. Results: Admission bloods revealed marked anemia, with a hemoglobin (Hb) value of 6.6 g/dL and a low mean corpuscular volume of 64 fL. High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) revealed the absence of HbA0 and elevated levels of HbF, suggesting a diagnosis of β-thalassemia major. Sequencing revealed that the child was homozygous for the rs33941849 initiation codon mutation. Conclusions: We hope that this study will create awareness regarding the presence of β-thalassemia as a potential public health problem in the East Africa region and will prompt the development of local guidelines regarding the diagnosis and management of this condition. |
| Databáze: |
Directory of Open Access Journals |
| Externí odkaz: |
|
