title: Correlation between dipstick urinalysis and urine sediment microscopy in detecting haematuria among children with sickle cell anaemia in steady state in Ilorin, Nigeria.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Haematuria is one of the clinical manifestations of sickle cell nephropathy. Although dipstick urinalysis detects haemoglobin and by extension haematuria; it does not confirm haematuria. Urine sediment microscopy confirms haematuria and constitutes a non-invasive "renal biopsy". The need to correlate dipstick urinalysis and urine sediment microscopy findings becomes important because of the cheapness, quickness and simplicity of the former procedure.
  
  
  METHODS
  Dipstick urinalysis and urine sediment microscopy were carried (both on first contact and a month after) among consecutive steady state sickle cell anaemia children attending sickle cell clinic at the University of Ilorin Teaching Hospital between October 2004 and July 2005.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A total of 75 sickle cell anemia children aged between 1-17 years met the inclusion criteria. Haematuria was found in 12 children (16.0%) and persistent haematuria in 10 children 13.3%. Age and gender did not have significant relationship with haematuria both at first contact (p values 0.087 and 0.654 respectively) and at follow-up (p values 0.075 and 0.630 respectively). Eumorphic haematuria was confirmed in all the children with persistent haematuria with Pearson correlation +0.623 and significant p value of 0.000.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study has revealed a direct significant correlation for haematuria detected on dipstick urinalysis and at urine sediment microscopy. It may therefore be inferred that dipstick urinalysis is an easy and readily available tool for the screening of haematuria among children with sickle cell anaemia and should therefore be done routinely at the sickle cell clinics.
authors: Department of Paediatrics, Federal Medical Centre, Makurdi, Benue State, Nigeria.
authors: Emmanuel Ademola
authors: EA
authors: Anigilaje
authors: Olanrewaju Timothy
authors: OT
authors: Adedoyin
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine*; D005591:Chemical Fractionation; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006417:Hematuria / Q000150:complications* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine*; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D008403:Mass Screening; D008853:Microscopy / Q000379:methods*; D009549:Nigeria / Q000453:epidemiology; D011934:Reagent Strips; D016482:Urinalysis / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
chemical_list: D011934:Reagent Strips
keywords: Sickle cell nephropathy; children; dipstick urinalysis; haematuria; urine sediment microscopy