Hemoglobin Phenotype Distribution Among Future Healthcare Providers: A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study at a Ghanaian Health Sciences University.

Abstract

Background: Abnormal hemoglobin phenotypes are prevalent genetic alterations in Ghana. Testing medical laboratory science students for these variants provides personal health information while enhancing their professional education as future healthcare providers. Thus, this study explored the hemoglobin phenotypes of medical laboratory science students at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS), Ho, Ghana.

Methods: This study was a descriptive cross-sectional study conducted among medical laboratory science students at the UHAS from July 2024 to August 2024. A data collection sheet was used to collate the sociodemographic characteristics such as ethnicity, town or place of origin, age, and gender of the participants. Venous blood samples of the study participants were drawn into ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA) anticoagulated tubes. Hemoglobin variants of the samples were determined using the sickling test and alkaline hemoglobin electrophoresis method. Data was entered into a Microsoft Excel Spreadsheet and cleaned, then exported to IBM-SPSS Version 27.0 (SPSS Inc., Chicago, Illinois, United States) for statistical analysis. A p value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Results: Hemoglobin A was the most common phenotype, comprising 80.6% of the study population, followed by hemoglobin AS (10.9%) and hemoglobin AC (7.5%). No significant association was observed between hemoglobin phenotypes and participants' regional origin, age, and sex.

Conclusion: Hemoglobin A was the most prevalent phenotype among participants, with no significant links to age, sex, or region. The findings offer valuable baseline data and emphasize the need for future research exploring genetic, behavioral, and environmental factors shaping variant patterns.