Sickle Cell Disease Screening Among Newborns at a Teaching Hospital in Sokoto State, North West Nigeria

Newborn screening for sickle cell disease enables early diagnosis and initiation of prophylactic interventions that dramatically reduce childhood morbidity and mortality. This study conducted haemoglobin electrophoresis-based sickle cell screening among newborns delivered at Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital, Sokoto State, North West Nigeria. A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out among 300 newborns within the first week of life. Heel-prick blood samples were collected on filter paper cards and analysed using cellulose acetate haemoglobin electrophoresis. Parental genotype information was obtained through structured interviews. The frequency of haemoglobin SS was 1.7%, HbAS 22.3%, and HbAC 4.3%, with HbAA accounting for 71.7%. The carrier rate of 22.3% for the sickle cell trait underscores the high background prevalence in the region. First-born children of parents both carrying the sickle cell trait had the expected 25.0% probability of inheriting HbSS confirmed in the sample distribution. Newborns diagnosed with HbSS were referred for paediatric haematology follow-up and initiation of penicillin prophylaxis. The findings affirm the need for a national newborn screening programme with mandatory coverage in all Nigerian tertiary hospitals, supported by genetic counselling services and community awareness campaigns to reduce the burden of sickle cell disease in North West Nigeria. Keywords: sickle cell disease, newborn screening, haemoglobin electrophoresis, HbSS, Sokoto State