title: Asymptomatic bacteriuria in children with sickle cell anemia at The University of Nigeria teaching hospital, Enugu, South East, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in the tropics. Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) may have compromised kidney function arising from repeated vaso-occlusive episodes and recurrent symptomatic or asymptomatic UTI.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims at determining the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria and sensitivity pattern in children with homozygous sickle haemoglobin compared to children with normal haemoglobin.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred children with SCA in stable state and 100 children with normal haemoglobin aged 2-12 years were screened for asymptomatic bacteriuria using midstream urine samples. The samples were incubated aerobically at 37°C for 24 hours within one hour of collection. Children whose urine samples yielded significant bacteriuria (≥ 10⁵ cfu/ml) on two consecutive cultures were regarded as having asymptomatic bacteriuria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Asymptomatic bacteriuria was noted in 6% of children with SCA and occurred more in females than males (F: M = 5:1) when compared to 2% in children with normal haemoglobin. Escherichia coli was the commonest organism isolated (33.3%). All the organisms were resistant to co-trimoxazole and ampicillin while most were sensitive to gentamicin, ceftriaxone and the quinolones.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The risk of asymptomatic bacteriuria is three times more common in children with sickle cell anemia than in children with normal haemoglobin. It is therefore important to screen SCA patients, especially the females for UTI and should be treated according to the sensitivity result of the cultured organisms.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paediatrics, University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital, Enugu (042), Nigeria. chizzy_bath@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Bartholomew F
authors.initials: BF
authors.lastname: Chukwu
authors.forename: Henrietta U
authors.initials: HU
authors.lastname: Okafor
authors.forename: Anthony N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Ikefuna
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D001437:Bacteriuria / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence