Abstract

*A. U. Deore and S. B. Zade

The present study was designed to determine the current status of sickle cell disease (SCD) in urban population of eastern part (Vidarbha) of Maharashtra State in India. A total of 3479 subjects belonging to 40 ethnic groups, including 29 non tribal, 8 tribal and three migratory groups were sampled. Blood samples were collected aseptically from all individuals and positive samples were further subjected to cellulose acetate hemoglobin electrophoresis for discriminatory confirmation. The overall prevalence of sickle cell trait was found to be 4.94%, of which genotype HbS and HbSS were found to be represented by 3.88% and 1.06% respectively. All tribal populations were found to be SCD positive with moderate frequency (0-14%). Among non tribes, out of 32 ethnic groups, SCD was diagnosed from 14 groups with frequency ranging between 0and 10%. The age group 0-30 years was found to be more prone to the disorder and the rate declined progressively with increasing age especially in people above 30 years of age