Premarital Health Screening in Bangladesh

In Bangladesh among inherited genetic diseases, thalassaemias and haemoglobinopathies are common and cause significant morbidity and mortality and impose a heavy financial burden on our society. Through premarital testing it is possible to reduce the number of children affected with genetic or other blood transmitted diseases.

This review aims to motivate the general populations and reanimate the interest of
stakeholders involved in the management of inherited genetic disorders and put forth the recommendations and proposal for implementing premarital screening programmes in Bangladesh.

Scarcity of resources and trained health professionals in the area of medical genetics
are major impediments in implementing premarital screening programmes in Bangladesh. Besides, religious beliefs, cultural norms, social customs as well as illiteracy may be the other barriers in performing the premarital screening programmes in Bangladesh.

Reference:

Rahman, M. M., Naznin, L., Giti, S., Islam, M.S. and Khatun, N., (2014), PREMARITAL HEALTH SCREENING – A REVIEW AND UPDATE, Journal of Armed Forces Medical College, Bangladesh, 10 (1), 103-109

Full text article at:

http://www.banglajol.info/index.php/JAFMC/article/view/22934/15784