[Early Screening Of Sickle Cell Disease: Knowledge And Behaviors Of Pregnant Women And Health Workers In Burkina Faso].

Objective: Early detection of sickle cell disease significantly reduces sickle cell mortality, but it is not practiced in Burkina Faso where the disease is responsible for significant early mortality. The objective of the study was to analyze the relationship between this finding and the knowledge and attitudes of pregnant women with hemoglobinopathy and health workers.

Materials and methods: the study was cross-sectional and conducted in three health districts of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, from June 17 to July 31, 2019. Data were collected using a structured individual interview guide.

Results: 200 pregnant women with hemoglobinopathy and 50 active health workers had participated in the study. Most women defined sickle cell disease as a bone disease, did not know its transmission mode or the hemoglobin type of their child (ren); 95,4% had never heard of neonatal screening for sickle cell disease. Health workers had limited knowledge of sickle cell disease (16-87%), and only 30% offered neonatal screening to pregnant women with hemoglobinopathy.

Conclusion: the awareness of the population and training health workers on sickle cell disease, supported by a policy of good access to screening tests, would improve the prognosis of sickle cell disease in Burkina Faso.