Table 1

Characteristics of sample.

Family originParental variantsaReligionFemaleMaleTotal
African/African–Caribbean10 carriers of Hb S8 Christian13215
1 carrier of Hb C1 Muslim
2 parents with a sickle cell disorder6 no religion/unspecified
2 not carriers
Indian sub-continent8 carriers of Hb beta thalassaemia9 Muslim9110
1 carrier of Hb D Punjab1 Sikh
1 status unknownb
European5 carriers of Hb beta thalassaemia2 Christian448
1 carrier of Hb S6 no religion/unspecified
1 not a carrier
1 status unknownb
Far East2 carriers of Hb E1 Buddhist213
1 carrier of Hb beta thalassaemia2 no religion/unspecified
Mixedc2 carriers of Hb S3 no religion/unspecified213
1 not a carrier
Total30939

  • ↵a Variants listed are those of the parent or parents interviewed — in many cases partners who were not interviewed were also carriers, including nine with Hb S, 2 Hb C and 2 Hb beta thalassaemia.

  • ↵b Status unknown — in one case a man who had not been tested, interviewed with his partner who carries sickle cell; in another a woman interviewed with her sister-in-law who carries beta thalassaemia.

  • ↵c Three people who had one white European parent and one parent of African/African–Caribbean origin.