Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) does not occur in the indigenous German population. However, with the increasing numbers of immigrants its prevalence is steadily rising. Nevertheless, robust epidemiological data is not available for Germany and, consequently, the German newborn screening (NBS) program does not include SCD. Between 1 September 2011 and 30 November 2012, an unselected cohort of 34 084 Berlin newborns was tested for SCD. The results of 14 newborns were consistent with SCD and 265 babies were identified as hemoglobin S (Hb S) carriers. These data indicate a 95% probability that the incidence of SCD in Berlin is at least 2.5/10 000.
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Acknowledgements
This work is part of SL’s dissertation in the University College London ‘Master of Science in Haemoglobinopathy’ program. SL is deeply indebted to Dr Ratna Chatterjee, Dr Rekha Bajoria, the Thalassaemia International Federation (TIF) and ‘KINDerLEBEN—Verein zur Förderung der Klinik für krebskranke Kinder e.V. Berlin’. We thank Novartis Oncology GmbH and Bio-Rad Laboratories GmbH who generously funded this project. Many thanks to all parents and patients who took part in this study.
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SL, CF and OB received a research grant from Novartis Oncology GmbH (Nuremberg, Germany) to perform this study. In addition, Bio-Rad Laboratories GmbH (Munich, Germany) indirectly funded this project through a preferential price for HPLC consumables. The remaining authors declare no conflict of interest.
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Lobitz, S., Frömmel, C., Brose, A. et al. Incidence of sickle cell disease in an unselected cohort of neonates born in Berlin, Germany. Eur J Hum Genet 22, 1051–1053 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2013.286
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ejhg.2013.286
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