Oman health: Awareness on sickle cell needed to combat disorder

Muscat: Two out of every 1,000 Omanis suffer from sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic blood disorder, according to a study.
SCD is a global health concern associated with high childhood morbidity and mortality.
Contracting the genetic disease can be prevented, if couples undergo pre-marital screening, said researchers.
However, only 24 per cent of Omanis have undergone such screening before marriage, according to the cross-sectional study that surveyed 450 Omanis attending local clinics.
The Sultan Qaboos University Hospital Medical Journal reports that a total of 500 Omanis attending the clinics were invited to participate in the study. It suggested that public awareness about SCD, and the need for pre-marital screening, are essential to reduce the incidence of this disease.
The study took place at five health centres located in Al Seeb between June and August 2015.
Of note, the majority (67.8 per cent) of participants were aware that SCD is genetic, and 85.1 per cent believed in the importance of pre-marital screening.
However, only 24.4 per cent reported having undergone pre-marital screening.
Further, only 20.2 per cent of the participants knew that SCD can be extremely painful, while 20 per cent were aware that it can cause strokes, infections and organ damage.
More than half (56.7 per cent) reported that the availability of educational material on SCD or pre-marital screening in Oman was inadequate. The higher the education levels of the participants, the more accurate was their knowledge on SCD, noted officials.