A couple of days we had a lunchtime seminar on H.S. – today as a totally chance finding we found it’s related condition – H.E. The incidence of hereditary elliptocytosis is hard to determine, as (like in H.S.) most sufferers of the milder forms of the disorder are asymptomatic and their condition never comes to medical attention. Around 90% of those with this disorder are thought to be asymptomatic.
It is estimated that its incidence is between 3 - 5 per 10,000 in the Caucasian population and that those of African and Mediterranean descent have higher incidence due to elliptocytosis conferring resistance to malaria: hereditary elliptocytosis are significantly more prevalent in regions where malaria is endemic:
- in equatorial
- in Malayan natives its incidence is 1500-2000 per 10,000
Almost all forms of hereditary elliptocytosis are autosomal dominant disorder, and both sexes are therefore at equal risk of having the condition. The exception is hereditary pyropoikilocytosis (HPP), which is autosomal recessive.
As always, Wikipedia is a useful starting point for more information….
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