[Estimation of the frequency of Hereditary Persistence of Fetal Hemoglobin in Brazil].

Hereditary Persistence of Fetal Hemoglobin (HPFH) is a benign clinical condition characterized by the synthesis of HbF and which continues without hematological alterations during adult life. Since the function of HPFH in many hemoglobinopathies is that of a severity modulator, it is important to learn its frequency. To obtain this information, a study was conducted on 1,846 blood donors from Bragança Paulista, São Paulo State. Hemoglobin was qualitatively analyzed by hemolytic electrophoresis on agarose gel. Qualitative analysis of gammaG and gammaA chains was performed by electrophoresis in polyacrylamide-triton-urea. Two individuals were found to have a high fetal index (0.1%). The percentage of FHb in one individual was 17% and in the other 18%. The gamma G chain was missing in both electrophoretic chains. Cases screened according to laboratory characteristics were of the pancellular hereditary persistence type due to mutation. The frequency in this sample was thus 1/1,000 individuals.