Assessment of Premarital Haemoglobin Genotype Counselling in the Control of Haemoglobinopathies in Osogbo, Southwestern Nigeria

Abstract

Introduction: Premarital haemoglobin genotype counselling is gradually becoming popular for joining a man and a woman together as husband and wife in Southwestern Nigeria but there are still many couples who marry without the benefit of this exercise. Aim: To assess the importance of premarital haemoglobin genotype counselling in the control of haemoglobinopathies. Methods: A total of 220 individuals comprising 110 individuals (55 couples) who had premarital haemoglobin genotype counselling and 110 individuals (55 couples) who had no such counselling participated in this study. A sample of 1 ml of blood was drawn from each participant for determination of haemoglobin genotype by cellulose acetate electrophoresis technique. Results: Haemoglobin genotype incompatibility was significantly higher in the non-counselled group (10.9%) than in the counselled group (1.8%) (p = 0.01). Of the 7 couples who were incompatible, 85.7% was HbAS/AS and 14.3% was HbAS/AC. In the noncounselled group, there was 1 in 44 chance of having a child living with sickle cell anaemia and 1 in 220 chance of having a child with HbSC disorder while in the counselled group there was only 1 in 220 chance of having a child with sickle cell anaemia. A non-counselled parent had 6.61 times the risk of a counselled parent of being incompatible with their partner. This study shows that premarital haemoglobin counselling plays a vital role in the control of haemoglobinopathies. Therefore it should be embraced by all stakeholders to contain the menace and harrowing experience of haemoglobinopathies.
Keywords:, ,,