DETECTION OF HUMAN α-THALASSEMIA MUTATIONS AND THEIR USE AS PREDICTORS OF BLOOD-RELATED DISORDERS

摘要

The invention is based on the discovery that adults having a genotype comprising a hemoglobin α-gene deletion are significantly more likely to be hypertensive than adults having a normal (αα/αα) genotype. The invention provides an improved method for determining a human subject's genotype at the α-gene loci; a method of screening a human subject for an increased potential of developing hypertension and other blood-related disorders; and provides an apparatus/kit for screening a human subject for a risk of developing hypertension and other blood-related disorders.