Knowledge and Attitudes of Sana'a University Medical Students towards Premarital Screening

Objectives: To assess the knowledge and attitudes of Sana’a University medical students towards premarital screening (PMS). Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among the students of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Sana’a University, during the academic year 2012/2013. A self-administered questionnaire was distributed to 516 Yemeni students. The questionnaire was composed of three parts; the first part was about socio-demographic data, the second part was about the students’ knowledge about PMS and the third part was about their attitudes towards the PMS. Results: Most of the respondents (92%) knew that PMS reduces hereditary and sexually-transmitted diseases, believed that it is important to carry out and agreed to do it. Making PMS mandatory and legal prevention of marriage in case of positive results were accepted by 82% and 62% of the respondents, respectively. Conclusions: Although the majority of Sana’a University medical students favored PMS and had a fair knowledge about most of its aspects, a small proportion of them refused its mandating or legally preventing at-risk marriages. These negative attitudes could be reversed by health education of medical students on PMS

Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase Deficiency among Male Blood Donors in Sana’a City, Yemen

 Objectives: To determine the prevalence of Glucose-6-phosphatedehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency among Yemeni people fromdifferent regions of the country living in the capital city, Sana’a,giving an indication of its overall prevalence in Yemen.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted among Yemenimale blood donors attending the Department of Blood Bank atthe National Centre of the Public Health Laboratories in thecapital city, Sana’a, Yemen. Fluorescent spot method was used forscreening, spectrophotometeric estimation of G-6-PD activityand separation by electrophoresis was done to determine the G-6-PD phenotype.Results: Of the total 508 male blood donors recruited into thestudy, 36 were G-6-PD deficient, giving a likely G-6-PD deficiencyprevalence of 7.1�20None of these deficient donors had history ofanemia or jaundice. Thirty-five of these deficient cases (97.2�howed severe G-6-PD deficiency class II (<10�0of normalactivity), and their phenotyping presumptively revealed a G-6-PDMediterraneanvariant.Conclusion: The results showed a significant presence of G-6-PD deficiency with predominance of a severe G-6-PD deficiencytype in these blood donors in Sana’a City, which could representan important health problem through occurrence of hemolyticanemia under oxidative stress. A larger sample size is needed todetermine the overall prevalence of G-6-PD deficiency, and shouldbe extended to include DNA analysis to identify its variants in Yemen