Prenatal diagnosis of β-thalassemia at King Hussein Medical Center

Abstract EN

Objective : To confirm the efficacy and safety of chorionic villus sampling in the prenatal diagnosis of β-thalassemia.

Methods : Chorionic villus sampling was carried out for ninety-three pregnant women between 10-12 weeks of gestation.

All patients who were randomly selected had at least one child affected by β -thalassemia major.

Results : DNA analysis for the 93 chorionic villus samples revealed that 25 cases were normal, 51 cases were p-thalassemia minor (carriers) and 17 cases were β -thalassemia major (affected).

There were two cases from the study group who had spontaneous abortion.

Conclusion: Chorionic villus sampling is safe and effective for the prenatal detection of β -thalassaemia in early pregnancy.