Blood Transfusion in Children Aged 1-59 Months at Aguié District Hospital (Niger)

Abstract

Introduction: Blood transfusion is a common practice in paediatrics. According to the WHO, in 2022, up to 54% of transfusions in low-income countries were given to children under 5 years of age. The aim of this study was to determine the frequency of transfusion in children aged between 2 and 59 months in the paediatric ward of the Aguié district hospital. Patients and method: This was a retrospective descriptive study from 1 January to 31 December 2022. All children aged 1 to 59 months hospitalised and transfused in the paediatric ward were included. Results: Of 5349 patients hospitalised, 1140 were transfused, i.e. a frequency of 21.31%. Females were predominant (50.70%), and the age group 13-24 months was the most represented (38.72%). The majority of patients were transfused on the first day (89.36%). The indications were dominated by severe anaemia associated with infectious diseases (59%) and nutritional diseases (20.92%). Severe malaria accounted for 99.83%. Red cell concentrate was the blood product used. Transfusion reactions were observed in 4.8% of patients, mainly fever and chills. The majority of patients were transfused in October (31%), with a mortality rate of 2.37%. Conclusion: Blood transfusion is fairly frequent in the paediatric department of the Aguié district hospital. Awareness-raising to prevent malaria and malnutrition would reduce its frequency.