Ejiofor O S, Ibe B C, Emodi I J, Ikefuna A N, Ilechukwu G C, Emechebe G, Ilechukwu C
Department of Paediatrics, Amaku General Hospital Awka, Anambra State, Nigeria.
Niger J Clin Pract. 2009 Dec;12(4):355-8.
The hepatitis C Virus (HCV) has become an important cause of chronic liver disease and liver cancer worldwide. Blood transfusion is one of the important modes of transmission. There is need to study the prevalence among those at risk such as sickle cell anaemia (SCA) patients. Such information will broaden knowledge of the problem among SCA patients transfused with blood in this part of the country.
To determine the prevalence of HCV antibodies among children with SCA transfused with blood in Enugu, compared with their non transfused counterparts as well as the roles of blood transfusion and traditional surgery in the prevalence ofHCV infection.
The study was conducted among 269 children with SCA attending the paediatrics sickle cell clinic at University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu, with 136 transfused SCA patients as subjects and 133 age and sex matched non-transfused SCA who served as controls.
The results showed an HCV antibody prevalence of 6.6% among the transfused and 5.3% among the non-transfused (controls) SCA patients (P = 0.610). There was positive association between number of transfusions and HCV seropositiviy, such that those who had received 4 or more units ofblood had a prevalence rate of more than 50% (P = 0.001). The influence of scarifications on the prevalence of antibodies to HCV (antiHCV) for the non transfused (controls) was statistically significant (P = 0.001).
HCV infection is not uncommon in children with SCA. The prevalence of HCV infection in transfused SCA patients is not significantly higher than their age/sex matched controls.
丙型肝炎病毒（HCV）已成为全球慢性肝病和肝癌的重要病因。输血是重要的传播途径之一。有必要研究镰状细胞贫血（SCA）患者等高危人群中的感染率。此类信息将拓宽该国这一地区接受输血的SCA患者中该问题的认知。
确定在埃努古接受输血的SCA儿童中HCV抗体的感染率，并与未输血的儿童进行比较，同时研究输血和传统手术在HCV感染率中的作用。
该研究在尼日利亚大学教学医院（UNTH）埃努古儿科镰状细胞贫血诊所的269名SCA儿童中进行，其中136名接受输血的SCA患者作为研究对象，133名年龄和性别匹配的未输血SCA患者作为对照。
结果显示，输血的SCA患者中HCV抗体感染率为6.6%，未输血（对照）的SCA患者中为5.3%（P = 0.610）。输血次数与HCV血清阳性之间存在正相关，即接受4个或更多单位血液的患者感染率超过50%（P = 0.001）。对于未输血（对照）的患者，划痕对HCV抗体（抗-HCV）感染率的影响具有统计学意义（P = 0.001）。
HCV感染在SCA儿童中并不罕见。输血的SCA患者中HCV感染率并不显著高于年龄/性别匹配的对照。
