Background. Priapism is a pathological condition of penile erection that persists beyond, or is unrelated to, sexual stimulation. Impotence and infertility are major problems in male sickle cell disease patients, and priapism has been implicated as a cause of impotence and infertility. The aim of this study is to determine priapism prevalence and assess the knowledge of male homozygous male patients about it in Lagos, Nigeria. Methods. A cross-sectional study was conducted amongst male homozygous sickle cell disease patients of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital. Pretested questionnaires were distributed to determine the prevalence and assess their knowledge on priapism. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 16.0. Results. A total of 114 consenting subjects filled the questionnaires, 85 of 114 (74.6%) had not heard about priapism before this study. A total of 77 of 114 (67.5%) did not know that they are at risk of priapism. Whilst 84 of 114 (73.7%) were not aware that priapism is a complication of SCD. The majority, 94 of 114 (82.5%), were not aware that priapism could cause impotence. Conclusion. There is a need to create more awareness about this complication amongst sickle cell disease patients in order to stem the incidence of impotence and infertility amongst them. 1. Background 1.1. Sickle Cell Disease Sickle cell disorder is a genetic abnormality involving haemoglobin and red cells. The glutamine on the 6th position of the β chain is replaced with valine consequent on a single point mutation in which thymine replaces adenine on the deoxyribonucleic acid structure. Haemoglobin S resulting from the substitution causes polymerization of haemoglobin and red cell sickling on exposure to low-oxygen tension and unsickle on oxygenation. The sickled red cells obstruct blood vessels and impede free flow of blood of the affected vessel causing vascular congestion, oxygen deprivation, anaerobic glycolysis, lactic acidosis, and pain. This may be responsible for priapism, an acute complication of sickle cell disease. 1.2. Priapism in Sickle Cell Disease Priapism is a pathological condition of penile erection that persists beyond, or is unrelated to, sexual stimulation [1]. Two subtypes have been described, the high flow (nonischemic) and the low flow (ischemic). The latter is associated with sickle cell disease and patients are more susceptible to greater complications and the long term recovery is dependent on prompt and urgent intervention [1]. A high prevalence of 42% rising to 50% was reported amongst Jamaican patients [2]. Its incidence varies
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