Saeed Al-Khotani and Mishal Al-Otaibi Saudi Gazette
RIYADH — Over 1 million Saudis in the Kingdom have undergone pre-marital screening, a procedure intended to prevent the transfer of serious hereditary and transmittable diseases among newly married couples, the Ministry of Health revealed while marking World Sickle Cell Awareness Day. Around 4.4 percent or 44,000 Saudis have been found to have sickle-cell anemia since the establishment of the pre-marital screening program seven years ago. The program subjects members of both sexes who are scheduled to get married to tests in genetic blood diseases such as sickle-cell anemia and thalassemia and infectious diseases such as Hepatitis B, C and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS). The program aims to provide couples with sound medical advice so they can avoid transmitting diseases to their partners or children. Genetic disorders resulting from consanguineous marriages are on the rise with an astonishingly high 65 to 75 percent of couples in such marriages suffering from some type of genetic disorder. Dr. Ameen Saftah, consultant of hereditary and clinical blood diseases, said pre-marital screening should also include tests for drugs, contagious diseases and blood diseases. “Marriage between close relatives is not the main cause of hereditary diseases but it increases the risks of such diseases,” he said on the sidelines of an event organized by King Fahd Medical City. Saftah stressed the importance of raising awareness about hereditary diseases, as some can be prevented or treated to minimize complications. “Pre-marital examinations seek to limit diseases such as thalassemia, sickle-cell anemia, AIDS and other diseases. They also seek to minimize financial obligations on families and society and reduce the pressure on medical institutions and blood banks,” he said, while suggesting that pre-marital examinations provide medical guidance to would-be couples on the possibility of transmitting genetic diseases to children. The Ministry of Health has allocated 127 screening centers at major hospitals in 18 regions, including Riyadh (17), Jeddah (2), Makkah (3), Madinah (9), Taif (7), Dammam (8), Qassim (15), Asir (10), Al-Ahsa (5), Hail (5), Jazan (11), Baha (7), Najran (4), Bisha (3), Northern Border (5), Hafr Al-Batin (1), Qurayyat (1) and Qunfudah (1). According to a report issued on the occasion by the Health Awareness and Information Center at the ministry, sickle-cell anemia is a hereditary blood disease that can be passed on from parents to offspring. The report said most notable symptoms of the disease are repeated attacks of pain in different parts of the body and micro-vascular infections. Due to the hereditary nature of the disorder, the ministry has taken the precautionary measure of making the test a part of the pre-marital screening program.
