Prevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV Infections among Sickle Cell Disease Patients in Southwestern Nigeria: A Case-Control Study

Abstract

Aim: This study was designed to determine the prevalence of HBV, HCV and HIV infections among individuals with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. Methodology: In this case-control study, 1017 patients with SCD and 1017 age and gender matched controls were enrolled from 6 health facilities and some communities in Ibadan, southwestern Nigeria. Blood samples were tested for the presence of HIV, HBV and HCV infections. Structured questionnaire was used to capture participants’ information and data analyzed using descriptive statistics, McNemar Chi-square/Fishers exact test. Results: Blood transfusion was significantly more common among SCD cases [566 (55.7%)] than controls [54 (5.3%)], while history of vaccination was higher in the control group (p = 0.001). The overall prevalence of HIV [2 (0.2%) vs 11 (1.1%)], HBV [58 (5.7) vs 66 (6.5%)] and HCV [10 (1.0) vs 22 (2.2%)] was lower among SCD cases than controls, respectively, although significantly different only in HCV infection (p = 0.048). All three infections were significantly higher in adults than in children. Co-infection was found only in four of the participants, all of whom were SCD patients. Conclusion: The prevalence of HIV, HBV and HCV infection among SCD patients indicates an improvement in the transfusion safety measures in the region. The prevalence of HBV and HCV found in this study is still relatively high when compared with reports from some other regions. There is a need for continued surveillance and subsidized cost of drugs for treatment of these infections, especially for SCD patients who already have a compromised immunity.