Urinary Tract Infections in Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia

Sickle cell anaemia is a hereditary blood disorder presenting with chronic anaemia. Patients with this disorder are prone to various infections of which urinary tract infection is one.This book is important because urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common cause of morbidity and mortality in the paediatric age group.Also a major precipitant of sickle cell crises and one of the the greatest cause of death at all ages. Therefore I carried out a prospective study to determine the prevalence of bacteriuria and bacterial isolates in the urine of febrile children with SCA at the University of Maiduguri Teaching Hospital, Masiduguri-Nigeria. 250 with SCA and 250 age- and sex- matched controls were studied.The prevalence of bacteriuria in children with SCA was 26%. E. coli and Klebsiella species were the predominant isolates from the urine in the SCA group.Nitrite test has showed high sensitivity, specificity and positive predictive value in determining bacteriuria. Sensitivity to antibiotics was highest to ceftriazone 89.2%.This book will be of great value to doctors, Medical and Paramedical Students, Parents of children with SCA and Children suffering from SCD across the globe.