Abstract
Anti-streptolysin O (ASO) titer assists for the diagnosis of Group A, Group C and Group G streptococcal infections and their sequele. Reference value of Anti-streptolysin O titer is not available for Ethiopian populations. This study determined the upper limit of normal reference value in apparently healthy children. Participants with a history of streptococal disease were excluded. A total of 127 blood samples were collected from 127 participants with age range of 5-15 years. Serum was used to determine Anti-Streptolysin O-titers. The average ASO Upper limits of Normal (ULN) titer for the total participants was 360 IU/ml with a median 200 IU/ml. The ASO ULN for both male and female children was 320 IU/ml with a median of 200IU/ml. The highest ASO ULN was observed for the age group of 9-12 years (400 IU/ml with median of 200 IU/ml) followed by 360 IU/ml for the age group 5-8 years and age group 13-15 years with a median of 200 IU/ml. This finding shows that ASO ULN are similar to those reported in countries with different climates and populations. Package inserts interpreting ASO titer > 400 IU/ml as recent streptococcal infection is applicable for Ethiopian population.
Highlights
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and Rheumatic fever (RF) remain significant causes of cardiovascular disease and mortality in children in the developing countries [1]
RHD and RF are an autoimmune disease that follows infection with GAS; the isolation of GAS is uncommon (
The children were symmetrically distributed in age groups, 42 (33.1%) were in age group of 58 years, 43 (33.8%) were in age group of 9-12 years and 42 (33.1%) were in age group of 13-15 years
Summary
Rheumatic heart disease (RHD) and Rheumatic fever (RF) remain significant causes of cardiovascular disease and mortality in children in the developing countries [1]. RF is estimated to affect 20 million people and is a leading cause of death during the first five decades of life [2]. It is endemic in developing countries with annual incidence of 100-200 cases per 100,000 school aged children [3]. There has been no investigation of upper limit of normal reference values for populations in Ethiopia despite of, RHD is the number one cardiac problem in children with a prevalence rate of 4.6–7.1per 1000 [9,10]. This study is designed to establish upper limit of normal reference value of ASO titers in apparently healthy children with the age range of 5-15 years
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