Sickle cell screening for newborns starts in Nagpur

NAGPUR: With incidence of sickle cell genetic mutation being 22-40% in certain high-risk groups in the region, it is imminent to undertake screening programmes for newborns, marriageable youth and pregnant mother. While screening for pregnant mothers is done in majority of the maternity homes or hospitals, and marriageable youths are screened through programmes in colleges, newborns are not being screened regularly, said president of Sickle Cell Association Nagpur (SCAN) Dr Anuradha Shrikhande.

To avoid mortality and morbidity, for the first time in Nagpur, a system has been put in place to screen newborns for sickle cell disease through HPLC (High Performance Liquid Chromatography) tests conducted by SCAN.

The association has tied up with Mumbai-based SRL Laboratories, and screening is done for a nominal charge of Rs500 instead of the usual Rs2000 and upwards.

Under this programme, a pregnant woman and her husband with the sickle cell genotype, or even if one them has the genotype, will undergo the test before the baby becomes one-month-old.

Blood samples will be collected from the baby’s heel on a filter paper. Babies diagnosed with sickle cell with the help of HPLC test, especially designed for newborn screening, will be registered under comprehensive health care, where appropriate antibiotics and vaccines will be given to take care of the pneumococcal disease.

Sickle cell is a hereditary disease, transmitted from parents to children. “It is a debilitating anaemia whose patients suffer from intractable pain in the joints, repeated infections and jaundice. Children under five years are susceptible to respiratory infections such as pneumonia which can be life-threatening,” said Dr Shrikhande, who began the initiative on October 10 and has so far received two samples from Matru Seva Sangh.

The programme will be carried out with contribution of several experts such as haematologist Dr Riya Ballikar, paediatricians Dr Milind Mane, Dr Dipty Jain and Dr Upendra Puniyani, along with SCAN members Dr Arti Dani, Dr Jaishree Tijare, Dr Nandu Pande, Dr Amit Agrawal and Dr Amol Dongre.

“We will be deciding the protocols in order to provide a common treatment to all patients. In the first year after child’s birth, a check-up will be conducted every three months. In the second year, a check-up will be done twice a year and from the third year, yearly check-ups will take place until the child attains five years of age,” said Dr Shrikhande.

The association has approached various maternity homes and hospitals to partner in the initiative.