Hb S [β6(A3)Glu→Val, GAG>GTG] in Mexican Mestizos: frequency and analysis of the 5' β-globin haplotype

Between 1978 and 2009, we studied 1,863 Mexican Mestizo patients with clinical data compatible with a hemoglobinopathy. Of these patients, 382 had some hemoglobin (Hb) abnormality (20.5%), 128 had a sickle cell hemoglobinopathy, representing a general frequency of 6.9%, which is similar to the percentage observed in previous studies on Mexican Mestizos. We analyzed the 5' β-globin haplotype (5'Hp) in 79 unrelated β(S) chromosomes (26 β(S)/β(S), 14 β(S)/β(Thal), nine β(S)/β(A) and four β(S)/β(D)), and four haplotypes were observed: 72.2% CAR 24.1% Benin, 2.5% Senegal and 1.2% Cameroon; the last two are reported for first time in Mexico. In some Latin American populations such as Brazil, the Bantu haplotype predominates, while in others such as Jamaica, the Benin haplotype is the most frequent, showing heterogeneity of African genes as a consequence of different regions involved in the slave trade.