Prevalence and Pattern of Hemoglobinopathies Among Women of Reproductive Age Attending a Tertiary Care Center in Central Uttar Pradesh: A Prospective Observational Study.

Background Hemoglobinopathies are an important public health concern in India, with considerable variation across regions. Screening women of reproductive age can help identify carriers early and provide opportunities for reproductive counselling. This study assessed the prevalence and pattern of hemoglobinopathies among women attending a tertiary care center in Central Uttar Pradesh. Methods A prospective observational study was conducted among women aged 15-49 years attending antenatal and outpatient services at a tertiary care hospital in Kanpur from 3 February 2025 to 2 February 2026. A total of 5,285 participants were screened. Those with abnormal or suggestive findings underwent further evaluation using complete blood count parameters and high-performance liquid chromatography. Diagnostic categories and hematological parameters were compared using appropriate statistical tests. Results Hemoglobinopathy was identified in 206 of 5,285 participants, giving an overall prevalence of 3.89%. Among the 207 participants with sufficient diagnostic information, beta-thalassemia trait was the most common finding (185; 89.4%), followed by hemoglobin E trait (20; 9.7%) and delta-beta-thalassemia trait (1; 0.5%). The prevalence of beta-thalassemia trait among the screened population was 3.5%. Significant differences were observed in red cell distribution width, hemoglobin, hemoglobin A, hemoglobin A2, and fetal hemoglobin (all p<0.001), while mean corpuscular volume and mean corpuscular hemoglobin did not differ significantly. Anemia severity also differed significantly (p=0.017). Conclusion Hemoglobinopathies were identified in a notable proportion of women screened, with beta-thalassemia trait being the predominant finding. These findings highlight the importance of carrier screening among women of reproductive age. The hospital-based design should be considered when interpreting the prevalence estimates.