Awareness of Blood Donation among Tertiary Institution Undergraduates in Southern Nigeria

Background:The increased need of safe blood and blood products and their unavailability in hospitals remain a formidable challenge faced by healthcare providers in developing countries such as Nigeria.Aim: To determine the level of awareness of blood donation among tertiary institution undergraduates in an urban setting of Southern Nigeria. Methodology: Semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect information from undergraduates of the University of Benin and Delta State University both in southern Nigeria. Data analysis was done using SPSS software version 16. Results: A total of 396 people were surveyed. Of these; 370 (93.4) were aware that blood can be donated; while 172 (43.4) were aware of the WHO policy on blood donation. Three hundred and forty-one (86.1) were aware that blood donation should be nationally coordinated while 306(77.3) did not agree that medical workers have created enough awareness on blood donation. Two hundred and twenty-two (56.1) were aware that blood donation should be voluntary and 209(52.8) were willing to donate blood if there is an attached financial reward. Conclusion:This study has revealed a high level of awareness on blood donation among tertiary institution undergraduates in Southern Nigeria and have demonstrated a poor level of awareness of the WHO policy on blood donation

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in HIV-infected Patients: a Hospital Based Study

Background: The prevalence of anemia in HIV/ AIDS patients is high; with a multitude of possible etiologies; autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in HIV/AIDS patients has been associated with a poor prognosis when treated with red cell transfusion. Our aim was to demonstrate the frequency of AIHA in a cohort of adult Nigerian HIV/AIDS patients and to see if the presence or not of AIHA is related to the severity of the disease with regards to the CD4 counts and the presence or absence of opportunistic infections. Method: Ninety- eight adult patients with HIV infection were screened for the presence of AIHA using the packed cell volume (PCV); direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and reticu- locyte count (RC). Results: The frequency of AIHA was 3.06; 36.74of our study population were anemic; 11.22had a positive DAT. Mean RC was 2.22 +/- 0.90 for all the patients. There was no statistically significant difference in the PCV of patients that had positive and negative DAT. There was no correlation between the presence of AIHA; use of ART; presence of opportunistic infections or CD4 counts. Conclusion: We conclude that in spite of the low frequency of AIHA in HIV/AIDS patients; the fact that most patients will respond to standard treatment makes it imperative to screen HIV/AIDS patients with anemia for the presence of AIHA. Again since HIV/AIDS patients with AIHA may have a fatal reaction to red cell transfusion; we suggest that anemic patients with HIV/AIDS in non-emergency situations be screened for the presence of AIHA before receiving red cell transfusions when indicated

Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia in HIV-infected Patients: a Hospital Based Study

Background: The prevalence of anemia in HIV/ AIDS patients is high; with a multitude of possible etiologies; autoimmune hemolytic anemia (AIHA) in HIV/AIDS patients has been associated with a poor prognosis when treated with red cell transfusion. Our aim was to demonstrate the frequency of AIHA in a cohort of adult Nigerian HIV/AIDS patients and to see if the presence or not of AIHA is related to the severity of the disease with regards to the CD4 counts and the presence or absence of opportunistic infections. Method: Ninety- eight adult patients with HIV infection were screened for the presence of AIHA using the packed cell volume (PCV); direct antiglobulin test (DAT) and reticulocyte count (RC). Results: The frequency of AIHA was 3.06; 36.74of our study population were anemic; 11.22had a positive DAT. Mean RC was 2.22 +/- 0.90 for all the patients. There was no statistically significant difference in the PCV of patients that had positive and negative DAT. There was no correlation between the presence of AIHA; use of ART; presence of opportunistic infections or CD4 counts. Conclusion: We conclude that in spite of the low frequency of AIHA in HIV/AIDS patients; the fact that most patients will respond to standard treatment makes it imperative to screen HIV/AIDS patients with anemia for the presence of AIHA. Again since HIV/AIDS patients with AIHA may have a fatal reaction to red cell transfusion; we suggest that anemic patients with HIV/AIDS in non-emergency situations be screened for the presence of AIHA before receiving red cell transfusions when indicated