Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, School of Medicine, Makerere University College of Health Sciences.
Department of Paediatrics, Mulago National Referral Hospital.
Afr Health Sci. 2022 Jun;22(2):135-145. doi: 10.4314/ahs.v22i2.16.
Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) have a high predisposition to a range of infections and gastrointestinal disorders. Studies of children living in low income countries have shown high levels of infection with (), however, there are no reports in Ugandan children with SCA.
We aimed to describe the prevalence and factors associated with infection among children with SCA at Mulago Hospital.
A cross-sectional study was conducted on 340 children with SCA aged 5-18 years. Assessments included recurrent abdominal pain(RAP), dyspeptic symptoms, relevant medical and social histories. Stool samples were collected and an antigen test carried out to determine prevalence and its associated factors were determined.
infection was detected in 49%(168/340); (95%Confidence interval (CI): 44.1, 54.7) of the study subjects. Having epigastric pain was independently associated with infection; (Adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.89; 95%CI: 1.1, 3.6; p= 0.048). Pneumococcal vaccination; (aOR=0.425; 95%CI: 0.2, 0.9; p=0.019) and appetite loss; (aOR=0.588; 95%CI: 0.3, 0.9; p=0.046) were negatively associated with infection. RAP was not associated with infection.
infection was common among children with SCA and independently associated with epigastric pain but not recurrent abdominal pain. Pneumococcal vaccination and appetite loss were protective against the infection. Screening for should be carried out in SCA children with epigastric pain.
镰状细胞贫血（SCA）患儿易患多种感染和胃肠道疾病。在低收入国家开展的儿童研究显示，感染率较高，然而，乌干达 SCA 患儿尚无相关报告。
我们旨在描述马拉戈医院 SCA 患儿中感染的流行率和相关因素。
对 340 名 5-18 岁 SCA 患儿进行横断面研究。评估包括复发性腹痛（RAP）、消化不良症状、相关医疗和社会病史。采集粪便样本进行抗原检测，以确定感染的流行率，并确定其相关因素。
在 340 名研究对象中，检测出感染 49%（168/340）；（95%置信区间（CI）：44.1，54.7）。上腹痛与感染独立相关；（校正优势比[aOR] = 1.89；95%CI：1.1，3.6；p=0.048）。肺炎球菌疫苗接种；（aOR=0.425；95%CI：0.2，0.9；p=0.019）和食欲减退；（aOR=0.588；95%CI：0.3，0.9；p=0.046）与感染呈负相关。RAP 与感染无关。
SCA 患儿感染较为常见，与上腹痛独立相关，但与复发性腹痛无关。肺炎球菌疫苗接种和食欲减退可预防感染。应在出现上腹痛的 SCA 患儿中筛查。
