Sickle Cell Disease and Blood Group Compatibility: Implications for Marriage Counselling among Undergraduate Students in Selected Tertiary Educational Institutions in Katsina State, Nigeria

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common genetic disorder globally, with over 300,000 children born with it annually, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, where 50-80% of affected children die before age five. SCD is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by a single base-pair mutation in the β-globin gene, leading to the substitution of valine for glutamic acid in the hemoglobin chain. This study aimed to assess the implications of SCD and blood group compatibility for marriage counseling among undergraduate students in Katsina State. Conducted as a cross-sectional study with 100 students from Hassan Usman Polytechnic and Alkalam University, it assessed ABO blood groups through the tile method and hemoglobin genotypes via electrophoresis, analyzed using simple percentage. The findings indicated that 73% of participants had HbAA, 24% HbAS, 2% HbAC, and 1% HbSS. The ABO blood group distribution showed 52% O, 22% B, 17% A, and 5% AB. Most students were RhD positive (96%). Notably, there were no significant differences in hemoglobin genotypes and ABO blood groups based on age or sex. A significant knowledge gap about Hb genotypes (83%), blood groups (85%), Rhesus factors (85%), and SCD (62%) was identified, emphasizing the need for enhanced marriage counseling and health education to mitigate the incidence of stillbirths due to Rhesus incompatibility and the burden of SCD, which is a major public health concern in the country.