Fetal hydrops in Sardinia: implications for genetic counselling

This paper describes the first case of Hb Bart's hydrops fetalis syndrome in the Sardinian population. Despite the high frequency of a-thalassemia, fetal hydrops is extraordinarily rare in the Sardinian population because a-thalassemia is more usually the result of the single a-thalassemia globin gene deletion and is very rarely produced by the deletion of two a-globin genes. The fetus, the product of a consanguineous marriage at risk for beta-thalassemia, was monitored by chorionic villi DNA analysis which detected the heterozygous state for the codon 39 nonsense mutation. Follow-up ultrasound examination showed fetal hydrops, which led us to carry out further investigation. Hemoglobin and a-globin gene analysis on cord blood obtained by cordocentesis revealed the homozygous state for the most common deletion ao-thalassemia in Mediterranean populations. Retrospective evaluation of the father's hematological features showed very low MCH-MCV for a beta-thalassemia carrier which may indicate co-inherited a-thalassemia. These findings indicate that careful evaluation of red cell indices of parents at risk for beta-thalassemia and adequate consideration of the consanguinity may point to co-inherited a-thalassemia and lead to the appropriate analysis.