Genetic epidemiology of the three predominant abnormal hemoglobins in India.

Hemoglobinopathies in India are Important public health problems. Of the several abnormal of hemoglobin molecules, there are three variants, viz. Sickle cell, hemoglobin E and hemoglobin D which are predominantly prevalent in India. The cumulative gene frequencies of these hemoglobins have been found to be 5.35% in India. The average gene frequency of sickle cell and hemoglobin D in India has been observed to be 4.3% and 0.86%, respectively. In the North Eastern region of India, the gene frequency of hemoglobin E is 10.9%. Gene frequencies and spatial distribution of the predominant abnormal hemoglobins in India have been discussed in variance with the previous generalisations.