FREQUENCY AND MOLECULAR TYPES OF DELETIONAL ALPHA THALASSEMIA IN EGYPT

The frequency of deletional .alpha.-thalassemia in the Egyptian population was estimated at 0.08 by DNA analysis of a newborn random sample. No .alpha.0 determinants were found. The most frequent .alpha.+ determinant was the -.alpha.3.7 type I in association with the medium allele at inter-zeta HVR. The -.alpha.4.2 and .alpha..alpha..alpha.anti3.7 arrangements were found at very low frequencies.