Haemoglobin S and sickling in Khartoum province

Abstract

Since August 1960, electrophoretic studies have been made on 8000 blood samples mainly from Sudanese “Arab” patients attending Khartoum General Hospital, and on 500 Sudanese blood donors. Haemoglobin S was found in 2·66% of all samples (as haemoglobin A+S in 2·38% and as S+F in 0·28%). Other abnormal haemoglobin variants were found in 0·6%. Sickling tests on 2632 persons in Omdurman and Khartoum North gave positive results in 1·52%. The need is stressed for more sickling surveys in the Sudan, to determine more precisely the distribution of this hereditary abnormality.