THE PREVALENCE OF THE THALASSEMIA TRAIT AMONG THE EAST MALAYSIAN STUDENTS IN THE FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES, UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MARA, UITM SELANGOR

Abstract

The thalassemia trait is an asymptomatic thalassemia syndrome that increases the risk of developing a more severe condition. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of the thalassemia trait among Sabah and Sarawak students enrolled in the Faculty of Health Science at Universiti Teknologi MARA, UiTM Selangor. The study was carried out over 3 months following approval from the ethics and research committees of Universiti Teknologi MARA, UiTM Shah Alam. A universal sampling method was used where the blood samples were collected from the 40 students, 16 from Sabah and 24 from Sarawak, of various ethnicities. All subjects were asked to fill out consent forms. A volunteer medical laboratory staff member assisted in taking whole blood samples from the subjects’ venous blood. The blood was then collected in a 3 mL EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) tube and was tested for thalassemia using a full blood count (FBC) and a full blood picture (FBP), as well as a Mentzer Index (MI) calculation, gel electrophoresis, and an H-inclusion test. In conclusion, the prevalence of the thalassemia trait is 7.5% (3) out of 40 volunteers among students from Sabah and Sarawak in the Faculty of Health Sciences at UiTM Selangor.