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.
Highlights
Sickle-cell disease is the most important genetic disorder globally, affecting 5% of the world’s population [1] [2]
The risk of developing Cholelithiasis has been reported to increase with age in children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) [21] [24] [25] [26] and though often asymptomatic, the significance of Cholelithiasis lies in its ability to present with abdominal complaints or lead to the development of calculus cholecystitis, both of which may be indistinguishable from vaso-occlusive crises [27]
Our study shows a low prevalence of Cholelithiasis (4.8%) among children with sickle cell anaemia at the Federal Teaching Hospital, Gombe
Summary
Sickle-cell disease is the most important genetic disorder globally, affecting 5% of the world’s population [1] [2]. Sickle cell anaemia is the most common disease associated with Cholelithiasis in childhood [3]. Cholelithiasis occurs commonly in children with sickle cell anaemia and may remain undiagnosed, mimic abdominal vaso-occlusive crises or become complicated by calculus cholecystitis. 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. 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%. 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
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