Prevention of Mediterranean Anemia in Latium: Ida Bianco Archives
Authors
Mario Falchetti
Department of Experimental Medicine, “La Sapienza” University, Rome, I
Laura Ottini
Department of Experimental Medicine, “La Sapienza” University, Rome, I
Ramona Lupi
Department of Experimental Medicine, “La Sapienza” University, Rome, I
Keywords:
Prevention , Mediterranean anemia, Population screenings, EzioSilvestroni , Ida Bianco
Abstract
Mediterranean anemia or beta-thalassemia is a hereditary syndrome characterized by a severe defect in haemoglobin production and an altered morphology of red blood cells. Homozygous condition for betathalassemia is characterized by short survival. Heterozygous condition is clinically found in adolescence and is characterized by a less aggressive phenotype. Ida Bianco, with her husband Ezio Silvestroni, has conducted a long struggle for beta-thalassemia prevention in Italy. They were the first to draw up an accurate map of the distribution of thalassemia in Italy and to conceive and implement a campaign against this genetic disease by the development of annual screening on at-school teen-agers and premarriage prevention. Here we focused on the analysis of Ida Bianco’s archives concerning screenings conducted on middle-schools in the Latium by the “Centro Studi della Microcitemia” of Rome from 1975 up to today. The results of the thirty-years prevention work in the Latium will be described.
