Abstract
This study was conducted on the Saudi population from different regions of Saudi Arabia to determine the frequency of sickle cell gene (Hb S). The results revealed that Hb S was present in most of the regions though at significantly variable frequencies. The highest frequency (0.149) was found in Al-Qateef, an eastern province of Saudi Arabia, and the lowest (0.001) were found in the central region. In some areas a close correlation was evident between malaria endemicity and Hb S gene frequency although a low frequency was encountered in some malaria endemic regions.