Prevalence Counselling and Cost Effective Analytical Methods in Detection of Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Anemia among Malayali Tribes of Dharmapuri District Tamil Nadu

Abstract

Thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, varieties of hemoglobinopathies, pose a newlinemajor public health problem in India. Some tribal populations, being of special genetic newlinebackground, are more affected by these disorders. Malayali tribes of Dharmapuri District, newlineTamil Nadu, fall under such populations which are in a higher prevalence of these disorders. newlineThis population maintained a high degree of genetic isolation and certain sociocultural newlinepractices like consanguineous marriages which is reflected in a higher incidence of newlinehemoglobinopathies. However, awareness and understanding regarding these conditions are newlinequite poor, leading to delayed diagnosis and management, consequently enhancing disease newlineburden. In this study, thalassemia and sickle cell anemia among Malayali tribesmen will be newlineanalyzed for prevalence, diagnosis strategy, and public health aspects with the help of a newlinecomprehensive battery of diagnostic tools such as NESTROFT, RBC indices, solubility test, newlineand HPLC. newlineThe Objectives newlineThe main objective of the study was to assess the prevalence of thalassemia and newlinesickle cell anemia among Malayali tribes in Dharmapuri District. Secondary objectives newlineincluded assessing the diagnostic effectiveness of various methods, analysis of socio-cultural newlineaspects that promote the transmission of these disorders, and public health strategies for newlineimproving awareness, screening, and management newline