Comparison of screening indicators for different types of thalassemia carriers in Hunan Province.

BACKGROUND: Carrier screening is the most effective method to block the occurrence of thalassemia. However, due to differences in race and genotype, MCV, MCH, HbA2 and other indicators are far from each other. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the common screening indicators of a, b and ab-compound thalassemia carriers in Hunan Province, and try to use the relevant formulas in the existing literature to predict and distinguish different types of thalassemia carriers.

METHODS: Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC curve) combined with Youden index was utilized to analyze results of blood routine examination, hemoglobin electrophoresis, and literature-related formulas for 1111 a-thalassemia carriers, 464 b-thalassemia carriers and 24 ab-thalassemia carriers.