The Mediterranean anaemia is a much severe disease with also a high frequency in many countries of the various continents.

In Italy the studies performed by Silvestroni and Bianco have shown the presence of around 2.500.000 healthy thalassaemic subjects and of a number of serious patients that was in the past of around 8.000 and that today is lowered to around 4.000, in consequence of the prevention.

However, in prevention absence, it is calculated that at least 400 patients, that is more than one a day, would be still born today in Italy, every year.

The thalassaemia spread is not uniform in Italy. In the southern regions, in Sardinia, in Sicily and in the Po River Delta, the percentages of the thalassaemic subjects among population are of 10-20%, and in the remaining regions only of 2-3 -% with an exception of small sources, risen during the postwar period in the industrial zones of the North Italy following the immigration from southern regions.

A same phenomenon has also happened in other European nations (Belgium, Germany, France) that have been destination of immigrations from the high-risk thalassaemic Mediterranean and Asian countries.

The thalassaemias are very diffused, besides in Italy, both in all the other Countries that lean out on the Mediterranean and in the Countries of the southeast Asian: hence altogether within a wide area of territory that extends from southern Europe and from northern Africa to the whole middle-east and the Countries of the southeast Asian. It calculates that within this vast territory is present around 180 million of thalassaemic subjects and that from them, every year, around 70.000 new patients would be born, in lack of prevention.

Sporadic cases of thalassemia are also naturally present in all the other Countries, among which particularly those of the north Europe.