Rotary Club of Hyderabad Pride Conducts HPLC Tests for Pregnant Women in Medak

Medak: Under the aegis of Family Planning Association of India (FPA India), Rotary Club of Hyderabad Pride president Nargis Sakina Yar Khan and secretary Fatima Tahir organised a health checkup camp at Vavilala village, Jinnaram mandal, Medak district.

At the medical camp, the High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) tests were done  on 23 expecting women as part of screening for detecting Thalassemia and Sickle cell anaemia disorder in them. 

Thalassemia and Sickle cell anaemia are the most commonly encountered hereditary blood disorders in India. They are characterised by the defective formation of haemoglobin which affects the shape of red blood cells and/or its function leading to severe anaemia, necessitating frequent blood transfusion. This is caused due to defects/mutation variation in the haemoglobin gene. 

To prevent the birth defect, it is important to screen the expecting mother for her carrier status to prevent her from passing on the problem gene to the baby. To identify if a pregnant woman carries the genes for thalassemia or sickle cell anaemia, a HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) screening test is done. This test aims to determine the likelihood of passing on the disorder to the baby. If the pregnant women are found to be carriers for either thalassemia or sickle cell anaemia, it is recommended to test the partner too. HPLC isa  fast and accurate method for determining this medical disorder.

Pregnant women in their first trimester should be tested with HPLC to establish if they are anaemic. After the screening, the Rotary club distributed calcium syrup and multivitamin syrup among the pregnant women.