Abakar Hassan Gadou^1,3, Abderrazzack Adoum Fouda¹, Al Cherif Hamid Mahamat²*, Hassan Mahamat Ali³, Mahamat koulbou Abdoulaye⁴, Mahamat Nour Djibrine Abakar⁴, Souraya Zakaria⁵, Oumalkher Youssouf Adam⁶ and Njintang Yanou Nicolas⁷

¹Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Human Health Sciences, University of Ndjamena, Ndjamena, Chad
²Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Institute of Sciences and Techniques of Abeche, Chad
³Head of the Biosafety and Epidemics Laboratory Service (LaBiEp), Chad
⁴University Hospital Center for Mother and Child (CHU-ME), Chad
⁵National Blood Transfusion Center of Chad (CNTS), Chad
⁶Ministry of Public Health and Prevention, Ndjamena, Chad
⁷Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Sciences, University of Ngaoundere and Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, National School of Agro-Industrial Sciences (ENSAI), University of Ngaoundere, Ngaoundere, Cameroon

*Corresponding Author: Al Cherif Hamid Mahamat, Department of Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, National Institute of Sciences and Techniques of Abeche, Chad.

Received: May 11, 2026; Published: June 22, 2026

Background: Sickle cell trait (AS phenotype) is generally asymptomatic, which facilitates the inclusion of healthy carriers in the blood donor pool. However, the presence of hemoglobin S (HbS) can alter the quality of blood products and pose risks to some recipients.

Objectives: This study aimed to determine the prevalence of sickle cell trait and to evaluate the hematological profile of blood donors at the National Blood Transfusion Center (CNTS) in N’Djamena.

Methods: This was a prospective, cross-sectional, and analytical study conducted from June 2024 to May 2025. HbS screening was performed by hemoglobin electrophoresis at alkaline pH, supplemented by a complete blood count using the Yumizen H550 automated analyzer (Horiba Medical, HORIBA ABX SAS, Parc Euromédecine-Rue du caducée B.P. 7290, 34184 MONTPELLIER Cadex 4-France. Ref.: 1300032760. Int. Doc. Ref.: RAB312FR) for each included donor.

Results: Of the 433 donors recruited, the prevalence of sickle cell trait (SC) was 17.3% (n = 75). The population was predominantly male (sex ratio 3.3:1) with a mean age of 32.15 ± 9.2. The 18 - 30 age group was predominant (45.7%). It should be noted that 100% of donors were unaware of their electrophoretic status before the study. Hematologically, polycythemia was noted in 12% of donors and anemia in 4%. A statistically significant association was observed between hemoglobin status and hematological abnormalities (p = 0.039).

Conclusion: The high prevalence of sickle cell trait in blood donors unaware of their status underscores the need to integrate electrophoresis into the blood transfusion assessment.

Keywords Sickle Cell Trait; Hemoglobin Electrophoresis; Blood Donation; Transfusion Safety; N'Djamena; Chad

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Citation

Citation: Abakar Hassan Gadou., et al. “Prevalence of Sickle Cell Trait and Hematological Profile among Blood Donors at the National Transfusion Center in N'Djamena, Chad". Acta Scientific Medical Sciences 10.7 (2026): 11-22.

Copyright

Copyright: © 2026 Abakar Hassan Gadou., et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.