Dr. Aphrodite Loutradi-Anagnostou's laboratory provides service
through a number of national thalassaemia centres in Greece. It acts through the
Central Unit of Prevention, the main Unit of Prenatal Diagnosis of Thalassemia,
the unit of single-day hospitalization of the Laikon-Hospital-affiliated Thalassemia
Center, and through 21 prevention units associated with hospitals of other towns
of Greece. Approximately 70,000 persons are examined every year.
The prevention programme for thalassaemia and haemoglobinopathies run by Dr. Loutradi-Anagnostou
has as its remit
- sensitization of the public
- screening tests for the identification of carriers
- genetic counselling
- prenatal diagnosis.
Over 11,000 pregnancies have been examined so far, with no significant deviation
of the annual percentage of positive diagnoses from the anticipated 25%. The programme
is evaluated by collecting information from all major units transfusing sickle-cell-anaemia
and thalassaemia patients and shows that the annual number of new cases of thalassaemia
has been five patients per year over the last eight years.