Prevalence of hemoglobinopathies in rural Bengal, India

India is in the thalassemia belt of the world. Both α- and β-thalassemia (α- and β-thal) are found in West Bengal, a state in the eastern part of India. There was no systematic large published study to investigate the prevalence rates of different hemoglobinopathies in West Bengal. This study was conducted in school and college students, newly married couples and pregnant women after proper counseling in the rural areas of five districts of West Bengal state in eastern India. Thalassemia testing was done using high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). A total of 35,413 individuals were screened for hemoglobinopathies. β-Thalassemia trait was found in 10.38%, Hb E [β26(B8)Glu→Lys] trait in 4.30%, sickle cell trait in 1.12%, borderline Hb A(2) value 0.73%, low Hb A(2) 0.68% and Hb D trait 0.37%. This is the first study that addresses the prevalence of different hemoglobinopathies in rural areas of West Bengal. The prevalence of β-thal trait is higher in West Bengal than other parts of India. This data is likely to be helpful in planning screening programs in rural areas of West Bengal, India.