Prevalence of heamoglobin genotype screening and awareness of SCD among undergraduate students of Unilorin.
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2016
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
The official Journal of the College of Medical Sciences, University of Benin, Nigeria.
Abstract
Nigeria has the highest number of homozygous sickle cell disease (HbSS) in the
world with a prevalence of 1.3%. About a quarter of Nigerian populations (24%) are
carriers of the mutant gene (HbAS) and annually about 150, 000 children are born
withsickle cell anemia.This study aimedat determining the prevalence of sickle cell
disease (SCD) and factors affecting the acceptance and practice of premarital
genotype screening among Undergraduates of University of Ilorin, Nigeria. This
descriptive cross sectional survey was carried out amongst 440 newly admitted
undergraduates ofUniversity ofIlorinduring the 2014/ 2015 academic yearrecruited
using multi-stage sampling method. Data was gathered using a semi-structured self administered questionnaire and the respondents' genotypes were determined by the
use of an electrophoresis machine (electrophoresis equipment model MUPID-EXU
Japan). Data was analyzed using SPSS version 16 software package. A p - value ≤
0.05 was considered significant at 95% confidence level.The ages of the
respondents ranged from 15 to 34 years with a mean age of 19.05 ± 2.61 years.
Slightly more than half of the respondents (53.0%) had normal haemoglobin
genotype HbAA while about 32.7% were carriers of the abnormal haemoglobin
gene (HbAS). The prevalence of SCD was 7.8%, 6.2% and 1.3% for HbAC, HbSS
and HbSC respectively. Even though majority of the respondents (72.3%) had fair
knowledge of the disease, only a quarter (28.2%) of them had ever done their
genotype test prior to the study. Factors that positively influenced respondents'
practice of premarital genotype screening included; age, being married, parental
educational background and being in science-related field.The prevalence of SCD
is high among the study population and the knowledge and practice of premarital
haemoglobin genotype is still unpopular. There is the need for continuous health
education on the disease in relation to the pivotal role of premarital genotype
screening in its prevention.
Description
Keywords
Genotype screening, SCD, Awareness