Effectiveness of Using Mean Corpuscular Volume and Mean Corpuscular Hemoglobin for Beta-thalassemia Carrier Screening in the Guangdong Population of China

Beta (β)-thalassemia is one of the most common hemoglobinopathies worldwide, creating major public health problems and social burdens in many regions. Screening for β-thalassemia carriers is crucial for controlling this condition. To investigate the effectiveness of mean corpuscular volume (MCV) and mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH) for screening β-thalassemia, retrospective data were analyzed for 6,779 β-thalassemia carriers subjected to genetic testing following thalassemia screening in Guangdong province between January 2018 and December 2019. Prevalent mutations observed included CD41/42 (-TTCT) (38.43%), IVS-II-654 (CT) (25.71%), -28 (AG) (15.78%), CD17 (AAGTAG) (10.03%), and β