Screening for the Sickle Cell Trait in Odisha, India: An Approach to a Major Public Health Burden

The present study aims to determine the prevalence and distribution of sickle cell traits in Koraput district of Odisha along with the financial burden on households. A total of 1092 individuals of either sex, aged above 30 years, were randomly screened. Blood samples from each individual were collected and tested using the sodium metabisulphite (Na2S2O5) technique to determine the presence of the sickled red blood cell. Demographic information and family (n=552) expenditure on health were recorded. The prevalence of sickle cell hemoglobin was found to be 9.43% in the studied population. The sickle cell hemoglobin is widespread in Koraput district of Odisha state and more prevalent in scheduled castes (9.98%) than in tribal groups (3.33 %). The present study observed a tendency for the sickling rate to be higher in people of lower age groups. The average annual healthcare expenditure was very high (3% to 64.4% of the family income) in families with sickle cell hemoglobinopathies. In contrast, the healthcare expenditure was 0.78% to 18.4% in families without sickle cell hemoglobin. Furthermore, the study explored that due to the consanguineal marriage practice, hesitance and social stigma toward sickle cell carrier screening, the genetic load is increasing for the sickle cell trait in the studied population