[Occurrence, diagnosis and therapy of beta thalassemia in Slovakia]

The authors draw attention to the prevalence of beta-thalassaemia in Slovakia, the rising trend of the disease, the occurrence of new cases of the disease in eastern Slovakia where the disease was not described previously. They draw attention to pitfalls of the diagnosis and treatment of beta-thalassaemia in Slovakia, the importance of molecular analysis of DNA globin chains of haemoglobin in the diagnosis of this serious condition. The authors paid major attention to the importance of prenatal diagnosis.