CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disease, which affects both married and unmarried individuals. According to Oladele (1998) Sickle cell anaemia is a condition in which some of the red blood cells are in the form of banana or crescent-shaped instead of biconcave, disk shaped of round lie a coin with abnormal haemoglobin S, and are fearless efficient in carrying oxygen. The defective cells soon breakdown, die off and result in shortage of blood (anemia) which results in sickle cell crises with excruciating pain in bones and joints. Sickle-cell anemia According to Adeykunmu (1991) is a chronic, genetic and hemolytic disease peculiar to the negro race due to homozygous inheritance of an abnormal haemoglobin and resulting in a variation in the structure of the goblin, sickle-cell anemia develop when he sickle cell genes is in the homozygous state (SS). Sickle-cell anaemia is largely confined to tropical Africa or people of African descent. It is an inheritable disease, which gets to people out of ignorance.

People have different perceptions of this disease (sickle-cell anaemia) many looked at it as a recantative spirit on man; some see it as a demonic possessive mark of sign. Generally it is believed to be a genetic disease, which is inheritable.

By perception of sickle cell anaemia we mean the understanding people have towards sickle cell anaemia more especially the married and unmarried individuals. It is a genetic disease, which is inheritable from the parents to the offspring, though the olden people looked at it as what they called “Ogbanje”.

According to West African journals of medicine 2000 perception of sickle cell anaemia deals with the knowledge and understanding people have towards sickle-cell anaemia. Perception of these disease (sickle-cell anemia put many married individuals into problem, many lost their faith by going to one native doctor or another because of their perceptions.