Baskadia

A genotype compatibility test for partners about to go into marriage is important. This test evaluates whether or not the partners, based on their individual genotype, run the risk of having children with sickle cell disorder.

Sickle cell disorder is an inherited blood condition, in which the red blood cells have an abnormal shape that makes them prone to breaking down prematurely as they pass through narrow blood vessels. A sickle cell patient suffers from oxygen shortage, because the red blood cells that transport oxygen to the body tissues are in short supply and are abnormal. The constant breakdown of red blood cells also causes an obstruction in blood vessels, resulting in pain, which is commonly referred to as a sickle cell crisis.

Several data have shown that Nigeria has one of the highest populations of sickle cell disorder patients in the world. Families with sickle cell patients often find themselves in and out of the hospital and many are grieving loss of children born with the disorder.

Sadly, despite the stories of pain and financial burden that come with caring for SCD patients, many people still don’t appreciate or understand the danger of getting married to a partner whose  genotype is incompatible with theirs.

In a recent post on Twitter, a user said she was proceeding into marriage despite having a partner with incompatible genotype.

She claimed that she had got spiritual assurance from her pastor that she and her partner would not give birth to a sickler or that none of their future their children would have sickle cell.

Honestly, it is always very difficult, however, we have to use common sense when emotions want to cloud our sense of reasoning. Recently, I read a Facebook post about the death of a youth corps member who was a sickle cell carrier. Sadly, he had a few weeks left to his passing out parade. This, and many other cases of people who have lost their loved ones to sickle cell disorder, are rife because of the ignorance and indecision of the parents before they got married,” he stated.

A medical doctor, Abdulbasit Arilesere, noted that it was not medically advisable for couples with unmatched genotypes to tie the knot.

He added that though love was beautiful, it would not withstand the pressure that comes with having a child with sickle cell. She noted, “Prevention is better than cure. Why make unborn children go through the pain that could have been avoided? Partners should save themselves from heartache and give birth to children who would not be wishing for death due to the pains that come with having a sickle red blood cell.”

Oni explained that ending a relationship was better than having heartache in the future. She, however, noted that when the couples have dated for a long time, exiting the relationship was always tough.

A lot of medical experts and marriage counsellors advise that couples who are about to get married should go for specific medical tests before tying the knot and knowing your genotype is one of them.  While this is very important, many couples don’t heed this advice for fear of probably incompatible results, especially as regards their hemoglobin genotype, emerging to become a reason for not getting married after such a long and deep emotional investment into each other (it can be very heart-breaking and some people might go into depression that would require psychiatric care if they’re compelled to cut off the relationship and marriage after such a long time of planning about their future together).

Instead of waiting till you meet that special half with whom you will spend your lifetime before realizing the importance of such specific medical tests, why not go for these medical tests now that you’re probably single or have not met that special someone yet? Whether you’re a man or woman, you should undergo a haemoglobin genotype test now before you meet your lifetime partner when it might either be too late or the outcome of your incompatibility could drive you into a mental breakdown.

There are several disease variants of the hemoglobin gene, but the commonest ones are haemoglobin S and C. The normal haemoglobin gene present in adult humans is A which exist as AA. However, some people have the A and S pairing as AS; some have the S and another S pairing as SS which is known as sickle cell disease; and a few people have S and C pairing to form SC which is also as bad as SS. If your haemoglobin genotype test comes out as AS, SS or SC, it means you can give birth to a child with SS if you marry someone who is AS or SS. For instance, if a man with AS marries a woman with AS, one in every 4 children they have will be SS. But that’s probability in theory. In reality that one child could be the first child; and that one child in every 4 children could manifest as 4 children in every 16 children, meaning the first 4 children can be SS and the couple has to give birth to more than 10 children to stand a chance of having a child who is either AA or AS.

Taking care of a child who is SS can be a nightmare especially for couples who don’t have the financial capacity; and even for those with the financial resources, the child may still die from a crisis or complication that can occur when nobody expects it.

Hence, knowing your haemoglobin genotype before entering a relationship that could lead to marriage will enable you talk about it with your partner, and if you’re incompatible, the possibility of marriage can easily be ruled out at this early stage of the relationship, unlike when you’re getting to know your haemoglobin genotype after proposal and the wedding is a few weeks away

Ikoja Grace Ojomachewn.

Department of Mass communication

School: Prince Abubakar Audu University.