Is the alpha--(cal) mutation prevalent in central Spain?

The two structural genes for the a-globin chain are located on the short ar m of chromosome 16. Normal individuals have four a genes (aa/aa) whereas a- thalassemias are usually produced by deletion of one, two, three or four a genes or by point mutations. 1 Deletion of both a genes within the same chr omosome is common ly observed in individuals from the Mediterranean basin2 and South East. In Spain, a0 mutations are common to other populations (-- SEA, --MED),3 and other mutations are characteristic of the Hispanic ethnic group in which at least four new mutations have been described.4-6.