TITLE:
Cholelithiasis in Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia: A Cross-Sectional Analysis from Northeast Nigeria
AUTHORS:
Ayomikun Ajani, Iliya Jalo, Suleiman Tanimu Saad
KEYWORDS:
Children, Sickle Cell Anaemia, Cholelithiasis, Northeast Nigeria, Adolescence
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Pediatrics,
Vol.9 No.1,
March
22,
2019
ABSTRACT: Background: Nigeria contributes 30% to the global sickle cell anaemia burden. Cholelithiasis occurs commonly in children with
sickle cell anaemia and may remain
undiagnosed, mimic abdominal vaso-occlusive crises or become complicated by
calculus cholecystitis. Early identification of children with sickle cell anaemia who have Cholelithiasis reduces the
chances of misdiagnosis, mistreatment and improves outcomes. There is limited knowledge
about the prevalence of Cholelithiasis among Nigerian children with sickle cell anaemia. The present study aimed to determine the prevalence of Cholelithiasis in
children with sickle cell anaemia in
Gombe, northeast Nigeria. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional
analysis of children with sickle cell anaemia being followed-up at the sickle cell centre of the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe, northeast Nigeria. We consecutively recruited 294 children aged 2 - 17 years
while in steady state from June to
November 2017. Quantitative data were collected from parents/caregivers via a researcher
administered questionnaire and cholecystosonography performed after a minimum of 8-hour fast. Predictors of Cholelithiasis were examined using binary
logistic regression. Results: The mean age of children with sickle cell anaemia was 9.0 ± 4.5
years. The prevalence of Cholelithiasis in children with sickle cell anaemia in steady state was 4.8%. Children aged
15 - 17 years had 12 times higher odds of having Cholelithiasis [AOR = 12.268 (95% CI = 1.3 - 112.8)]. Conclusion: The prevalence of Cholelithiasis in children with sickle cell anaemia though generally low, increases
progressively with age to peak during middle to late adolescence.