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Dubai: A 'handful' of thalassaemia-carrier couples have decided against marriage, a sign doctors see as encouraging in the country's efforts to eradicate the genetic blood disorder.
Thalassaemia, characterised by the breakdown of oxygen-rich red blood cells, is the most common genetic disease in the UAE. People with the disorder require regular blood transfusions in order to survive.
About one in 12 Emiratis carry the genes for thalassaemia and other blood disorders.
Dr David Spence, chief of medicine at Shaikh Khalifa Medical Centre (SKMC) in Abu Dhabi, told Gulf News a small number of couples have decided against marriage if it means their children would inherit the disorder.
"A handful of couples - five or six couples with the thalassaemia trait - have decided not to get married when they find out [the risks]," he said, calling the couples courageous.
Understanding
"Some of them have seen the effects of the disorder in their own family," he added.
"We've seen the number rise progressively in the last eight years; we think it's a trend by young adults in the country. It reflects their understanding and their education," he said. "And we have couples who went ahead and got married, and they have thalassaemia babies now," he said.
He said the number of new patients has increased. SKMC is treating 100 thalassaemia patients, comprising 35 adults and 65 children, with plans to treat more.
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