Level of awareness of genetic counselling in Lagos, Nigeria: its advocacy on the inheritance of sickle cell disease

Abstract

A descriptive analysis of reported cases of sickle cell disease and the level of awareness about genetic counseling in 30 hospitals were carried out. Additionally, 150 individuals between ages 16 - 45 were
randomly selected for evaluation of genetic counselling awareness. The main tools for this study were questionnaires, which were taken to hospitals, and individuals completed the others. The numbers of
reported cases of sickle cell disease recorded in private, public and teaching hospitals were 14 and 57; 143 and 89; 272 and 57 for the periods of 1995 - 2000 and 2001 – 2005, respectively. A general informal genetic counselling took place mostly occasionally in the hospitals visited. 122 (86%) individuals have had the knowledge of genetic disease and only 43 (30.3%) individuals have been exposed to genetic counselling. 64% of individuals agreed that genetic counselling would help in the prevention of genetic disease.