Few years ago i lost a dear one after given birth. Her family because of ignorance called her all sorts of name like "emere, ogbanje".the Yorubas perspective of someone who dies suddenly at a tender age. But she died as a result of sickle cell anaemia.
Love could make you happier than you have ever been, even sadder than you have ever been, angrier. etc. it could elate you and deflate you almost at the same time... But what could be prettier if we live a sickness free life.
Knowing your genotype before getting married could reduce children mortality in our society
What Is Genotype:
Genotype simply means hemoglobin gene constituents. Genes are always in pairs, which could be dominant, recessive or X-linked. The genotypes in humans are AA, AS, SC, SS. The greatest challenge is to avoid matchmaking a trait of sickle cell disease to intending couples. Sickle cell disorder is a lifelong ailment arising from the inheritance, from both parents, of sickle haemoglobin (SS) or of AS from one parent and another variant pathological haemoglobin such as SC.
The ailment is characterized by premature breakdown of rigidly sickled red blood cells causing,
constant anaemia and occlusion of small blood vessels, which is believed to lead to pain crises and other manifestations.
The most common type of sickle cell in Nigeria is the SS also known as sickle cell anaemia. About 2% of all babies born in Nigeria have sickle cell anaemia. Two per hundred births translates to over 150,000 births annually of children with sickle cell anaemia. It has been established that about 24% of the entire population of Nigeria or 1 in 4 Nigerian men and women are healthy carriers of the sickle cell trait (S). The Nigerian population is officially quoted to have risen to about 160 million. Consequently, the population of Nigerians who are healthy carriers of the sickle cell trait (AS) must be about 40 million. This number far exceeds the total population of every other affected African country and indeed of several of them put together. Nigeria, therefore, has the largest sickle cell gene pool in the world.
The Question Is Who can I Marry Based on Genotype Compatibility.
Someone with the genotype AA can marry across. That is, there's no risk of having a sicklier as a child even when he or she marries an SS. But AA marrying an SS can only result in AS children. There's no hope of having a child with the genotype AA. But there's no danger either.
Someone with the genotype AS should only marry someone with the genotype AA because if AS marries AS there's one out of 4 chances (AS, AS, AA and SS) that they will have a child with the sickle cell disease. Same applies when SC. SC and AS combine will produce AS, AS, SC, SC, the sickle cell disease will be SC. Remember that the only problem is when 2 abnormal persons i.e carriers of (S) marries that possess a threat to their off springs.
Compatible genotypes for marriage are:
AA marries an AA. That's the best compatible. That way you save your future children from having to worry about genotype compatibility in future.
AA marries an AS. You'll end up with kids with AA and AS which is good. But sometimes if you're not lucky all the kids will be AS.
AS and AS should not marry.
AS and SS shouldn't think of marrying.
Definitely SS and SS must not marry since there's absolutely no chance of escaping having a child with the sickle cell disease. Likewise SC and SS.
To avoid any unnecessary distress in your family go for Genotype counseling before you say " i do". Genetic counselling before marriage is aimed at giving the couples basic information on reproduction and other issues.
Lets eradicate Sickle cell from the grass root by marrying right in order to avoid discomfort in our families in future.
For further enquiries contact Professor Olu Akinyanju, College of medicine Hematology unit, University of Lagos Nigeria.
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