Which demographic is most commonly affected by thalassemia?

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Thalassemia is inherited and shows strong geographic variation in how common it is. The beta-thalassemia form, which is most frequent in many Mediterranean populations, has a relatively high carrier rate there. Because it’s autosomal recessive, regions with higher carrier frequencies end up with more people affected. Alpha-thalassemia is more common in Southeast Asia and parts of Africa, but the overall pattern described in the question points to the Mediterranean populations as having the highest burden. So, Mediterranean descent is the demographic most commonly affected.