Demographic and sociocultural characteristics of sickle anaemia children with positive hepatitis B surface antigenaemia in a tertiary health facility in Enugu.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis B virus) infection is contracted through contact with body fluid of infected persons. Patients with sickle cell anaemia (SCA), a common haematological disorder in Nigeria, have tendencies to visit traditional healers who administer scarifications and ritual marks that may expose them to HBV infection. OBJECTIVE: To determine the demographic and socio-cultural characteristics of children with SCA infected with HBV at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital Enugu. SUBJECTS AND METHOD: Two hundred and twenty one children aged 6 months to 17 years with SCA were recruited consecutively from October 2004 to April 2005. They were screened for HBsAg using ELISA method. RESULTS: There was no statistically difference in hepatitis B surface antigenaemia among different age group (P = 0.907). Social class did not significantly influence the prevalence of HBsAg among subjects (p = 0.887). Socio-cultural practices like circumcision and scarification did not influence the prevalence of HBsAg, (p = 0.636) (p = 0.771) respectively. Significantly higher number of people from lowest socioeconomic class practice scarification (p = 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Demographic and sociocultural factors do not appear to influence the prevalence of HBsAg among children with SCA in Enugu, Nigeria.

Demographic and Sociocultural Characteristics of Sickle Anaemia Children with Positive Hepatitis B Surface Antigenaemia in a Tertiary Health Facility in Enugu

Hepatitis B virus infection is contracted through contact with body fluid of infected persons. Patientswith sickle cell anaemia (SCA); a common haematological disorder inNigeria; have tendencies to visit traditional healerswho administer scarifications and ritualmarks thatmay expose themtoHBVinfection. To determine the demographic and socio-cultural characteristics of children with SCA infected withHBVat theUniversity ofNigeriaTeachingHospital Enugu. Two hundred and twenty one children aged 6months to 17years with SCA were recruited consecutively from October 2004 to April 2005. They were screened for HBsAg using ELISA method. There was no statistically difference in hepatitis B surface antigenaemia among different age group (P=0.907). Social class did not significantly influence the prevalence of HBsAg among subjects (p=0.887). socio-cultural practices like circumcision and scarification did not influence the prevalence of HBsAg; (p=0.636) (p=0.771) respectively. Significantly highernumber of people fromlowest socioeconomic class practice scarification (p=0.0001). Demographic and sociocultural factors do not appear to influence the prevalence of HBsAg among childrenwith SCAinEnugu;Nigeria. Sickle cell anaemia; Hepatitis B surface antigenaemia; Demographic; Sociocultural characteristic