Medical Genetics Commons^™

Genotype-Phenotype Diversity Of Beta-Thalassemia In Malaysia: Treatment Options And Emerging Therapies, Maryanne Jin Ai Tan Maryanne

Mary Anne Tan Jin Ai

The haemoglobinopathies and thalassemias represent the most common inherited monogenic disorders in the world1. Beta-thalassaemia major is an ongoing public health problem in Malaysia2. Prior to 2004, the country had no national policy for screening and registry for thalassemia. In the absence of a national audit, the true figure of the extent of thalassemia in the Malaysian population was largely presumptive from micro-mapping studies from various research workers in the country. The estimated carrier rate for beta-thalassemia in Malaysia is 3.5-4%. There were 4768 transfusion dependent thalassemia major patients as of May 2010 (Data from National Thalassemia Registry).