Thirty percent of people with genetic diseases have ignored medical advice and decided to marry, according to a hematology and oncology consultant, Dr. Arwa Al Yamani.

Dr. Yamani presented her findings at the first Saudi conference on blood diseases held recently in Jeddah.

The conference, attended by more than 200 specialists from different health sectors, was aimed at finding a single mechanism to deal with patients with blood diseases and high levels of iron in their blood.

Al Yamani criticized those people with genetic diseases who have ignored advice and insisted on marrying despite knowing the seriousness of their decisions.

“The Ministry of Health is not a body authorized to ban these marriages. It can only give advice and guidance,” she was quoted as saying by local media.

She stressed the importance of premarital tests to determine whether people carry infections or hereditary diseases, especially sickle cell anemia. Yamani called on community members to take pre-marital tests to prevent any adverse effects arising out of their hereditary diseases.

On the latest ways to treat sickle cell patients, she said a special type of audio radiation on the brain is used to determine whether patients are vulnerable to strokes. This helps patients prepare for strokes. At least 20 percent of patients infected with sickle cell anemia are prone to ischemic strokes, she said.

Professor of hematology at King Abdulaziz University Dr. Mohammed Qarri said the conference brought together hematology consultants from all parts of the Kingdom. This was to discuss the latest developments to treat patients of Mediterranean and sickle cell anemia and look into complications arising from the accumulation of iron in the blood.

Patients who need constant blood transfusions are more prone to iron accumulation, he added.