Incidence of Sickle Cell Disorder among Tribal and Non Tribal Community of Bastar (India)

 

 

PK Shrivastava, AK Bansal and *CS Kantharaj

Deptt. Of Community Medicine, Govt. Medical College, Jagdalpur (C.G.) - India 494001

 

ABSTRACT

A sample of 263 Sickle cell sufferers was collected from patients attending the Maharani Hospital, Jagdalpur for various ailments. On analysis of the collected data it has been revealed that the percentage of males and females in sickle cell patients is more or less equal. On further analysis it has been observed that 33.08 % are tribal patients in comparison to 66.92 % not tribal. It has further noticed that 3.04% of sickle cell patients belong to the Muslim and Christian communities and has broken the myth that sickle cell has not been found in the Muslim population of India.

 

Keywords: Sickle cell disorder, Hemoglobinopathies.

 

INTRODUCTION

Chhattisgarh is a vast and great state with multiple and diverse castes, ethnic and religious groups, occupational and economic strata languages and socio-cultural traditions, lifestyles and practices and family genetic heritages.

Moreover this state has gone through so many religious, socio-cultural, linguistic movements that have given rise to an amalgamation and conglomeration of all the constituent features, representing the cohesive unity in diversity in the true sense.

 

High degree of marital consanguinity, caste/class and geographical endogamy, lack of medical facilities, psycho social prejudices, certain irrational traditions and beliefs aggravated the nutrition patterns and health problems. Heavy cost of treatment compounding difficulty faced by sufferers.

 

Sickle cell disease is an autonomic recessive disorder that causes anemia, joint pains, swollen spleen and frequent severe infection.

 

Abnormal hemoglobin’s affect human physiology, growth, development, sexual maturation and subsequently fertility and mortality. The body mass index of patients with sickle cell disease was found very low the persons affected with sickle cell disease are generally mild to moderately undernourish and are susceptible to disease, especially to infectious diseases which lead to high morbidity and mortality. The onset of age at menarche is delayed by 1-3years in homozygous sickle cell affected girls, depending upon the nutritional status, parasitic infections and other afflicted conditions. Homozygous females have reduced fertility. Such individuals may become pregnant but are associated with high degree of maternal morbidity, fetal wastage and neonatal mortality. Infant mortality is very high among the affected families of sickle cell disease.

 

The pattern of death in persons who have sickle cell anemia is bimodal, with the first peak occurring in childhood and the second one in their late thirties. Death during childhood is related to infections where as that during adulthood is due to organ failure from repeated tissue destruction.

 

MATERIAL AND METHOD:

The data of 263 sickle cell sufferer was collected from Maharani Hospital, Jagdalpur who attended the O.P.D. for various ailments between December 2006 to February 2009. The data thus collected were analyzed and inferences were drawn.

Diagram - II

 
 
 


Table-I. Tribal and non tribal Sickle Cell disorder as per sufferers.

S. No.

Category of Sickle Cell Sufferers 

No.

Percentage

1

Tribal

87

33.08

2

Non Tribal

176

66.92

 

Total

263

100.00

 

1.     To know the extent of problem in tribal population.

2.     On the findings of the present study further planning is to be chalked out if necessary to know the actual incidence of the disorders.

 

Objectives:

On analysis of the collected data it was observed that 33.08 % sickle cell sufferers belong to tribal communities in comparison to the 66.92 % non tribal counterpart (Table-I, Diagram-I). This finding is more or less similar to the findings in the study conducted by Balgir RS (I).  The study conducted by PG students of Pt JNM Medical College Raipur revealed that, of those suffering from Sickle cell Anemia, 20% were of tribal origin whereas in the present study 33.08% are tribal. This disparity is because the tribal population of Jagdalpur amounts to be higher in comparison to Raipur.

 

On further analysis of the collected data it has been noted that their were 122(46.39%) male sufferer in comparison to 141(53.61%) females sufferer (Table-II). 

 

3.04% of the sickle cell sufferers were Muslims and Christians as per the present study whereas Balgir’s (I) study declared that sickle cell had not been found in the Muslim population in India.

 

From the above observations the authors reached to the conclusion,

 

(1)   That these findings are a tip of iceberg so a detailed demographic survey is to be carried out to know the actual incidence of disease.

(2)   That an integrated health policy for the prevention and management of Hemoglobinopathies must be formulated and implemented.

(3)   That it has broken the myths that sickle has not been observed in the Muslims population in India.

 

Table-II. Sickle Cell disorder as per sex of the sufferers. 

S. No.

Sex

No.

Percentage (%)

1

Male

122

46.39

2

Female

141

53.61

 

Total

263

100.00

 

REFERENCE:

(1)    Balgir RS, Epidemiology, population Health Genetics and phenotypic Diversity of Sickle Cell Disease in India, Internet Journal of Biological Anthropology 2007 Vol. 1 No 2.

(2)    Harrison’s Principals of Internal Medicine 16th Edition Vol. pg 594-595.

(3)    K. Park, Text Book of Preventive and Social Medicine 19th Edition M/s Basnarsidas Bhanot Puplication Jabalpur pg 678.

(4)    Shukla RH, Solanki BR, parande AS, Sickle Cell Disease in India, Blood 1958 Vol 13 pg 552-558.

 

 

Received on 05.06.2009

Accepted on 20.07.2009   

© A &V Publication all right reserved

Research J.  Science and Tech.  1(1): July-Aug. 2009: 33-34