Abstract
Rapid diagnosis of major beta thalassemia along with certain preventive measures is of utmost significance. The present study aims to compare the fingerprints in Major beta thalassemic patients (67) and in their parents (76 with minor thalassemia) with the normal fingerprints of control group (144). A forensic medical examiner determined fingerprint types of arch, loop, whorl and other types. Like normal individuals, loop fingerprint pattern was found to be the most common fingerprint type among thalassemic patients. However, the number of whorl fingerprints in all fingers in thalassemic patients was greater than that of normal individuals and the number of loop fingerprints was smaller (p < 0.05). Arch type fingerprint pattern was less frequent in major thalassemic patients compared to minor thalassemic ones (p < 0.05). The findings show that the number of whorl fingerprint patterns in thalassemic patients was greater than that of normal individuals, while the number of loop fingerprint patterns being smaller and the frequency of arch fingerprint pattern in patients with major thalassemia was lower than that of minor thalassemic patients. Therefore, one may choose fingerprint pattern as a simple, affordable and appropriate screening method to help detect the afflicted patients and prevent severe cases of thalassemia.
Highlights
Thalassemia is the world's most common hereditary hemoglobinopathy[1], and depending on which globin production chain has been disrupted, it may be classified into alpha, beta, delta and other types
Since major β thalassemia is concurrent with severe anemia and hemosydrosis and affected patients need repeated blood transfusion, this disease is counted as a health problem and because of the severe harms and relevant care costs inccurred by the patient it counts as a socio-economic problem in countries indicating a high rate of β thalassemia[4]
A significant difference was found on fingerprint types among major thalassemic patients, minor thalassemic patients and the control group and between minor thalassemic patients and control group
Summary
Thalassemia is the world's most common hereditary hemoglobinopathy[1], and depending on which globin production chain has been disrupted, it may be classified into alpha, beta, delta and other types. The hereditory prevalence rate of this disease varies between 2.5% and 15% in the Mediterranian regions, the Arabian Penninsula, Turkey, Iran, India and Southeastern Asia. With an estimated number of 25000 major thalassemic patients and three million minor thalassemic individuals, Iran counts as one country with abnormally high rate of β thalassemia so much so that to be reported as the most common hereditory disease in the country[3]. The prevalence rate of this disease is 10% in the coastal regions of the Caspian Sea and the Persian Gulf and varies between 4% and 8% in the rest of Iran[2]. Typical thalassemia diognosis methods using red blood cell indices[5,6,7] belatedly reveal the disease because of changes in hemoglobin during fetal and postnatal periods[8,9]
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