Hematological reference intervals for adult population of Dire Dawa town, East Ethiopia.

BACKGROUND: Reference interval (RI) for hematological parameters is used to interpret laboratory test results in the diagnosis, management and monitoring of hematologic disorders. Several factors including sex, age, dietary patterns, pregnancy status, ethnicity and geographic location affect hematological RIs. However, manufacturers derived reference value is currently in use in most developing countries including Ethiopia. This study aimed to establish hematological RIs for adult population living in Dire Dawa town, East Ethiopia. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, 513 apparently healthy adults of Dire Dawa town were enrolled from January to March 2019. From these, 342 (171 males and 171 non-pregnant females) were aged 18-65 years while 171 were pregnant women aged 15-49 years. After obtaining written informed consent, 5ml fresh whole blood was collected of which 2ml was used for hematologic analysis using Mindray BC-3000plus hematology analyzer and 3ml for serological tests. The 2.5th and 97.5th RI was computed by non-parametric test employing SPSS version 24. P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULT: Males had significantly higher reference value for most of red cell parameters (Hgb, RBC, HCT, MCH and MCHC) than females (p <0.05), while most of the WBC parameters were significantly higher in females than males. Moreover, non-pregnant women had higher values for most of red cell parameters than pregnant women. Pregnant women had higher WBC parameters than their non-pregnant counterparts. CONCLUSION: The hematologic RIs obtained in this study shows variation between genders, between pregnant and non-pregnant women, from the clinical practice currently utilised in Dire Dawa town and from studies conducted in Ethiopia, African countries as well as the Western population. It underscores the need for utilising gender and pregnancy specific, locally derived hematologic RI for better management, diagnosis and monitoring of hematologic disorders for adults of both genders and pregnant women.

Prevalence and Trends of Major Transfusion Transmissible Infections among Blood Donors in Dire Dawa Blood bank, Eastern Ethiopia: Retrospective Study.

BACKGROUND: Acquisition of transfusion transmissible infections in the process of therapeutic blood transfusion is a major global health challenge in transfusion medicine. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and trends of major transfusion transmissible infections among blood donors. METHOD: A retrospective analysis of consecutive blood donors' records covering the period between July 2010 and June 2013 was conducted at Dire Dawa Blood Bank, Eastern Ethiopia. RESULT: A total of 6376 blood donors were tested, out of which 5647(88.57%) were replacement donors and 729(11.43%) were voluntary donors. The majority of them were male, 5430(85.16%), and aged between 18-32 years, 4492(70.45%). A total of 450(7.06%) donors had serological evidence of infection with at least one pathogen. The overall positivity rates of HBV, HIV, HCV and syphilis were 4.67%, 1.24%, 0.96%, and 0.44% respectively. Trends for transfusion-transmissible infections showed a significant decrease from 9.51% in 2010 to 6.95% in 2013 with the least prevalence in 2012 (5.90%) (P = 0.004). The prevalence of transfusion transmissible infections was significantly higher among male blood donors compared to female donors, among the age group of 25-32 years and 33-40 years compared to the age group of 18-24 years old, and among unemployed and private workers compared to students. CONCLUSION: A significant percentage of the blood donors harbor transfusion-transmissible infections. Stringent donor selection using standard methods is highly recommended to ensure the safety of blood for the recipient. Furthermore, efforts on motivating and creating awareness in the community are required to increase voluntary blood donors.