The Prevalence of Occult Hepatitis B Infection among Blood Donors in Lagos, Nigeria.

BACKGROUND: In occult hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, the HBV DNA is present in the blood or liver tissue in patients negative for hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) with or without anti-HBV antibodies. Thus, the absence of HBsAg in the blood only reduces the risk of transmission and is not sufficient enough to ensure the absence of HBV infection. AIM: This study was aimed at determining the prevalence of occult HBV infection among blood donors in Lagos. STUDY DESIGNS: A cross-sectional study was done among 101 consenting blood donors at Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja, between November 2016 and January 2017. MATERIALS AND METHODS: HBV DNA analysis and viral load were done at the Molecular Laboratory of National Sickle Cell Centre, Idi Araba, Lagos, for all the HBsAg negative blood donors screened by rapid kit at Ikeja. RESULTS: The prevalence of occult HBV DNA among the participants was 3% consisting of 3% prevalence of HBV DNA surface antigen and 0% prevalence for precore and core of the HBV DNA. CONCLUSION: The low prevalence (3%) of occult HBV seen in our study does not make it cost-effective to routinely screen blood donors or the general population for HBV infection using DNA polymerase chain reaction.

On artherogenic index of plasma in sickle cell anaemia patients.

INTRODUCTION: Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is an inherited abnormality of haemoglobin associated with reduced life expectancy. Patients' complications include dyslipideamia. This study was aimed at determining the artherogenic index of plasma (AIP) in sickle cell anaemia patients and compares the value to HbAA controls value. A high AIP is strongly predictive of elevated cardiovascular risk. METHODS: A comparative study was conducted among SCA patients attending the haematology clinic, Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH) and HbAA Phenotype controls. A total of 304 participants were recruited consisting of equal numbers of SCA and HbAA controls. Single lipid profiles were done; logarithms of triglycerides/high density lipoprotein were calculated to obtain AIP and lipid profile ratios established for all participants. RESULTS: There were lower mean values of Total Cholesterol (TC), High Density Lipoprotein(HDL) and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) amongst SCD participants than controls and higher mean values of triglycerides (TG) and Very Low Density Lipoprotein (VLDL) in SCD p < 0.05. The AIP in SCD ranges from -0.62 to 1.32 while that of controls ranges from -0.56 to 0.61.The mean AIP were 0.14 ± 0.29 and -0.009 ± 0.26 in SCD and controls respectively. P value = 0.002. CONCLUSION: AIP value is higher in sickle cell anaemia than controls, the former have lower mean values of TC, HDL and LDL and higher mean values of TG and VLDL.

Serum homocysteine and disease severity in sickle cell anemia patients in Lagos.

Purpose: Hypercoagulability in sickle cell anemia (SCA) may be responsible for the increased development of vascular occlusion in certain organs as well as acute pain episodes. The causes of hypercoagulability in SCA are multifactorial and include raised homocysteine levels. This study, therefore, aimed to determine serum homocysteine levels in SCA patients in steady state and to correlate its levels with SCA disease severity. Patients and Methods: This was a cross-sectional study done among SCA patients in steady state attending the Haematology Clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH). Matched age and sex HbAA controls were also recruited. Serum homocysteine of each participant was done with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and disease severity score assessed in every SCA patient using clinical and laboratory parameters. Results: The mean value for homocysteine in the study group (SCA patients) was 19.80±19.75 µmol/L whilst that of the control group was 9.16±4.29 µmol/L. Thirty-nine out of 96 (46.6%) SCA patients had elevated homocysteine levels (>15 µmol/L) whilst all 96 participants in the control group had normal homocysteine levels. The difference in the means in the two groups was statistically significant with p=0.001. Majority (62.5%) of the SCA patients had a mild disease (severity score ≤3). There was a significant correlation between serum homocysteine levels and disease severity scores with p=0.04; χ2=4.04. Conclusion: Homocysteine levels were significantly higher in HbSS patients compared with matched HbAA controls and showed a positive correlation with disease severity scores in the SCA patients.

Methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase gene mutation in sickle cell anaemia patients in Lagos, Nigeria.

INTRODUCTION: The significant causes of mortality among individuals with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) such as acute chest syndrome and cerebrovascular disease are related to vascular occlusion. Polymorphisms of the methylene tetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene in persons with sickle cell anaemia have been suggested as a potential risk for vaso-occlusive events, with the C677T and A1298C polymorphisms being the commonest. This study therefore aimed to establish the pattern of MTHFR C677T and A1298C gene mutations among adults with HbSS phenotype attending the Haematology Clinic in Lagos State University Teaching Hospital Lagos, Nigeria. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was done among SCA patients attending the Haematology Clinic of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), using age and sex matched HbAA controls. DNA extraction and gene analysis were done. The selective amplification of a particular segment of the DNA by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) was done and subsequent digestion of the amplified MTHFR gene into its various fragments. RESULTS: The overall prevalence of the C677T mutation among participants was 19.3% (37 of 192), while the prevalence of A1298C was 15% (29 of 192). CONCLUSION: The prevalence of MTHFR C677T was higher than A1298C mutations among sickle cell anaemia subjects.