Frequency of Sickle Cell Trait among Relatives of Sickle Cell Anaemia Patients in Al-Gadaref State-Sudan

Abstract

This study is a descriptive, cross-sectional analytical study aimed to determine the frequency of sickle cell trait among relatives of sickle cell anaemia patients in Al-Gadaref state –Sudan, during April to July 2012. Seventeen families with one hundred and fourteen individuals, with different ethnic descents were involved. 56 Males (49.1%), and 58 Females (50.9%), compare to 30 healthy person as a control group. 2.5 ml of venous blood was collected from each person in EDTA container with care and adequate safety to ensure the reliability of the result, CBC, ESR, sickling test, and Hb electrophoresis were carried out. The data showed that (67%) of the study population were positive and (33%) were negative for sickling test. The results of hemoglobin electrophoresis showed high frequency of sickle cell trait (66.7%) among the study population followed by HbAA (24.6%), HbSS (5.3%), HbAC (1.8%), and HbSC (1.8%). The highest distribution of sickle cell trait was found among Hawsa tribe (36.8%), followed by Fulani (26.3%), Bargo Selehab (15.8%), Hawazma (11.4%) and Fore (9.6%). Most individuals in our study their parent coming from a single ethnic descent (98.24%) which reflect consanguineous marriage, thus the high degree of a high risk of augmenting the sickle cell gene. The mean of Hb level, TRBCs, and PCV in patient with sickle respectively cell anemia were (7.4g/dl),(2.7x106/μl),(22.6%) and in HbSC were (9 g/dl),(3.4x106 μl ),(27%), respectively which are lower than in sickle cell trait that showed (12.5g/dl), (4.6x106/μl), (38.2%) respectively, and HbAC that showed (13.5 g/dl),(4.6x106/μl),(41%) respectively which were not significantly differ than control,who showed ( 12.4g/dl), (4.4x106/μl),(37.3%) respectively. The result of MCV, MCHC, and MCH, showed no significant difference between sickle cell trait (82.9fl) ,(32.7g/dl), (27.5pg), respectively, sickle cell anemia that showed (86.5fl), (33.3g/dl), (28.2pg), severally, HbSC which showed, (79fl), (33mg/dl), (26.6pg), sequentially, HbAC that showed (88.6fl), (33.1g/dl), (29pg) , severally, and HbAA that showed (83.6fl), (32.3g/dl), (28.1pg), respectively. The total leukocytes, was significantly elevated in sickle cell anaemia (12.1x103/μl), and HbSC that showed (8.5 x103/μl), when compared with sickle cell trait (5.1 x10 3/μl), HbAC that showed, (3.6 x103/μl), and HbAA that showed (4.5 x10 3/μl), no significant difference between the three group in their value. Platelets count was higher in HbSS (376 x103/μl) and lower in HbSC (160 x10 3/μl) when compared with HbAS (230 x103/μl), HbAC (235 x103/μl) and HbAA (237 x103/μl) which are not differ in their values. The mean of ESR was higher in HbSS (42.3mm/h) and HbSC (95mm/h) than in Hb AS (21mm/h), HbAC (8mm/h) and HbAA (11mm/h). These results concluded that sickle cell trait is highly frequent among the relatives of sickle cell anaemia patients in study area and could be capable of spreading the disease further due to high degree of consanguineous marriage, population unawareness, closed societies and lack of medical counselling, and also provide ‫‪an insight sickle cell anaemia was found to be predominant‬‬ ‫.‪among African immigrant tribes‬‬