Alpha thalassaemia hydrops fetalis in the UK: the importance of screening pregnant women of Chinese, other South East Asian and Mediterranean extraction for alpha thalassaemia trait

Objective Alpha zero (α° or α‐1) thalassaemia is an important genetic risk for women originating from Hong Kong, Singapore, Vietnam, Thailand, the Philippines or South China. Cypriots are also at risk. Carriers of α° thalassaemia trait can be detected by routine haemoglobinopathy screening. When a couple are both carriers, in each pregnancy there is a 25% risk that the fetus will have α thalassaemia hydrops fetalis; this is fatal for the fetus and carries serious obstetric and psychological risks for the mother. Most informed couples at risk request prenatal diagnosis and selective abortion. This study investigates the effectiveness of screening, counselling and prenatal diagnosis for α thalassaemia hydrops fetalis in the UK.

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