Summary

       Thalassemia is an important genetic disease which has a worldwide distribution with a particular high occurrence in Arab world including Iraq. The present study involves some methods of biotechnology which are used in diagnosis and treatment of thalassemia. This study includes three chapters as indicated below:

1. 1.General introduction to thalassemia and the aim of the study.
2. 2.Literature review of research concern information about the disease such as disease history; geographic distribution; the normal structure of hemoglobin; genetic causes; various hemoglobin abnormalities; different types of thalassemia; symptoms of the disease; ways of protection; diagnosis based on blood test; hemoglobin electrophoresis; high performance liquid chromatography; molecular genetic tests which are either conducted by the use of PCR technology including different molecular techniques enable to diagnose the syndromes of thalassemia or non PCR techniques which are commonly applied in this field. Literatures concern treatment were also included in this chapter such as the biological methods of treatment including blood transfusion; common treatment; surgical intervening; bone morrow transplantation; hemoglobin stimulation; and gene therapy.
3. 3.Statistical survey of the disease in Al-Najaf province depending on the records available at the center of blood diseases/ Al- Zahra’a hospital. These records were used to investigate the relationships between thalassemia and some factors to determine the actual importance of the disease in the population of Al-Najaf province. The relationships are represented as the number of patients in each category of specified factor. These include gender of patient and β- thalassemia phenotype; gender of patient within different groups of age; gender of patient within different ABO blood groups; geographic distribution with β- thalassemia phenotype; gender of patient born of either related or unrelated parents; and ABO blood groups and β- thalassemia phenotype.