Epidemiological profile of hemoglobinopathies in the Mauritanian population

Abstract.

We performed a study of hemoglobin in 700 blood donors attending the Centre Hospitalier National de Nouakchott in Mauritania. We detected 116 cases of anomalies corresponding to a global prevalence of 16.6%. The analysis of the samples studied showed that 72.3 % of the donors were Blacks and 28.7 % were White Maurs (Maures blancs). In the Black population the prevalence of hemoglobinopathies is 21.44% whereas among the White Maurs it is 4.47%. In this study, the six ethnic groups that constitute the Mauritanian population were also represented in the sample, but with different numbers.We noted some differences in the repartition of anomalies among these groups. The hemoglobin anomalies that were found are sickle cell anemia, β-thalassemia, and δ-variant, all in heterozygous form. Geographical repartition revealed that the hemoglobin abnormalities are mostly encountered in the Southeast and the Southwestern parts of the country, which could be considered areas of high risk for hemoglobinopathies.