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Abstract β-thalassemia is one of the genetic diseases which can be broadly defined as a syndrome of inherited hemoglobin disorders characterized by a quantitative deficiency of functional β-globin chains. Thalassemia is the most common form of inherited anemia worldwide. The World Health Organization reports suggest that about 60,000 infants are born with a major thalassemia every year. Although individuals originating from the tropical belt are most at risk, it is a growing global health problem due to extensive population migrations. As in many Mediterranean countries, β-thalassemia is a major public health problem in Egypt. The position of Egypt in the center of the Middle East, contiguous with the Mediterranean countries, has facilitated genetic admixture of Egyptians with several populations of diverse geographic and ethnic origins. It has been estimated that 1000 children out of 1.5 million live births are born annually with thalassemia major. In multicenter studies, the carrier rate in Egypt has been reported to be in the range of 9%– 10%. Once a child is diagnosed to have thalassemia homozygous disorders, he/she has to take lifelong treatment. Management includes regular 3 weekly filtered packed red cell transfusions, chelation therapy for iron overload, management of complications of iron overload and . |