ABO (H) secretor status of sickle cell disease patients in Zaria, Kaduna State, Nigeria.

Certain individuals secrete ABO blood group antigens in body fluids and secretions while others do not. In this study, the presence of water soluble agglutinogens in body fluids such as blood, saliva and urine of 64 sickle cell disease patients and 75 AA genotype subjects who served as control were taken and tested by hem-agglutination inhibition method. Data obtained was expressed in percentages. Results revealed that 84.4% sickle cell patients were secretors while 15.6% were non secretors. Amongst the control, 97.3% were secretors while 3.1% were non secretors. 81.2% SS and 3.2% SS+F patients were secretors while 15.6% SS were non secretors, 68% AA were secretors and 29.3% AS were secretors while 2.7% AA were non secretors. The result showed that a non secretor is more likely to be an SS than a secretor and Secretor status is influenced by hemoglobin genotype.