ABU DHABI // Calls for more genetic testing among couples before they are married are being recognised in the capital.
The Health Authority-Abu Dhabi (Haad) launched a premarital screening and counselling programme yesterday to allow couples to test for a greater range of diseases than was previously available.
Dr Farida al Hosani, the section head of infectious diseases at Haad, said this was in answer to calls for a greater awareness of genetic diseases, both among couples and doctors.
"We have trained doctors to counsel patients, and know when to refer them to specialists should any abnormalities in tests be detected," she said. "We are encouraging couples to benefit from this service and take these tests as early as possible before marriage."
The tests are free for Emiratis with a Thiqa card, but have to be paid for by residents. Insurance does not cover premarital testing.
Test results are usually available in two to three weeks and couples can get tested at nine health centres: four in Abu Dhabi, four in Al Ain and one in Al Gharbia.
Screenings will examine any infectious diseases present in the man or women, including HIV-Aids, Hepatitis B and C, and syphilis. Tests will also be administered for genetic blood diseases such as Beta-thalassaemia, known as Mediterranean anaemia, sickle cell haemoglobin and other haemoglobinopathies, or blood disorders.
Couples can also request preventive tests that will determine blood type and Rhesus factor, and immunity against rubella in women.
If either of the couple is below the age of 18, a parent or guardian must accompany them.
Amani al Khateeb, 27, is planning an autumn wedding in Abu Dhabi and welcomed news of the premarital testing. "There are some mandatory tests that we have to do before we get married, but they test only for thalassaemia and sickle cell anaemia, which is not enough," she said.
Ms al Khateeb, of Palestinian origin, said there had been a history of genetic diseases in her fiance's family. However, the test results would not affect her decision to marry. "We would definitely want to make sure of the screening programme, but we might just get tested after we are married, and before we plan to start a family."
The Haad programme will provide counselling for couples who have a higher risk of giving birth to a baby with a genetic disease.
In February, during the first UAE International Genetic Metabolic Conference held in Dubai, geneticists said that a lack of genetic counsellors was one of the reasons behind the UAE's high rate of genetic disorders. The Centre for Arab Genome Studies, based in Dubai, has identified more than 260 genetic diseases in the country.
Two doctors in particular - Dr Fatma Bastaki, a consultant paediatrician and clinical geneticist who is the head of the paediatrics department at Al Wasl Hospital in Dubai, and Dr Fatma al Jasmi, a metabolic consultant at Tawam Hospital in Al Ain and assistant professor of paediatrics at United Arab Emirates University - have said that counselling was a large part of the solution to preventing genetic disorders.
"We can reduce the occurrence of hereditary disorders in high-risk families by testing and then by having them sit down with a geneticist and receive counselling," said Dr Bastaki.
Haad's programme would do exactly that, said Dr al Hosani. "Once the couple is tested, and if there is a risk of them having a baby with a genetic disease, the counsellor will educate them on how to increase the probability of a safe pregnancy," she said. "As patients begin to understand their options and the risks in reproduction, they can plan, calculate the risk of pregnancy and prevent disorders from occurring."
Dr Yousef Abdulrazzaq, a paediatrician and neurologist at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at UAE University, reiterated that the main way to prevent genetic diseases was regular screening, particularly before marriage.
"This is the only way to prevent it; we have been doing premarital screening and we have to continue with that and build upon it," Dr Abdulrazzaq said. "Some of the diseases are very rare, which is why screening is crucial."