Bacteraemia in sickle cell anaemia is associated with low haemoglobin: a report of 890 admissions to a tertiary hospital in Tanzania.
Makani, Julie;
Mgaya, Josephine;
Balandya, Emmanuel;
Msami, Khadija;
Soka, Deogratias;
Cox, Sharon E;
Komba, Albert N;
Rwezaula, Stella;
Meda, Elineema;
Muturi, David;
+6 more...Kitundu, Jesse;
Fegan, Gregory;
Kirkham, Fenella J;
Newton, Charles R;
Snow, Robert W;
Lowe, Brett;
(2015)
Bacteraemia in sickle cell anaemia is associated with low haemoglobin: a report of 890 admissions to a tertiary hospital in Tanzania.
British journal of haematology, 171 (2).
pp. 273-276.
ISSN 0007-1048
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.13553
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Bacteraemia is a leading cause of morbidity in sickle cell anaemia (SCA), but information from studies in Africa is limited. We evaluated 890 admissions from 648 SCA patients at a tertiary hospital in Tanzania. Bacteraemia was present in 43 admissions (4·8%); isolates included Staphylococcus aureus (12/43; 28%), non-Typhi Salmonella (9/43; 21%), Streptococcus pneumoniae (3/43; 7%) and Salmonella Typhi (2/43; 5%). Compared to SCA patients without bacteraemia, SCA patients with bacteraemia had significantly lower haemoglobin [71 g/l vs. 62 g/l, odds ratio 0·72 (95% confidence interval 0·56-0·91), P < 0·01]. Further exploration is needed of the relationship between anaemia and bacterial infections in SCA in Africa.