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Background Sickle-cell anaemia (SCA) is the most common inherited haemoglobinopathy affecting the Negroid race. Renal complications such as enuresis can occur during childhood. Reports show that children and adolescents with SCA may be at a higher risk of nocturnal enuresis than their counterparts with normal haemoglobin genotype. Aims The study aims to determine the prevalence of nocturnal enuresis and possible risk factors among school-aged children with SCA in a South-east Nigerian city. Methods A hospital-based and cross-sectional descriptive study of 70 school-aged children with SCA who met the study criteria, and 70 age- and sex-matched controls with normal haemoglobin genotype was conducted in the Paediatric Sickle-cell Anaemia Clinic of the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH) Enugu. Data was subjected to multivariate analysis using logistic regression model with nocturnal enuresis as the dependent variable and the possible risk factors as the independent variables. Results The prevalence of nocturnal enuresis among the Subjects and the Controls was 31.4 and 21.4 % respectively (p = 0.180). It was significantly higher among male Subjects (48.7 %) than among male Controls (23.1 %) [OR (95 % CI) =8.14 (2.12–31.24), p

Background: Monitoring of body temperature is an important clinical procedure in the care of sick children, especially the under-5 children, as many disease conditions present with fever. The oral mercury-in-glass thermometer which has relatively good accuracy cannot be used in children less than 5 years because it requires their cooperation. Objective: This study was aimed at using the infrared tympanic thermometer (IRTT) in oral mode to measure temperature in febrile and afebrile children less than 5 years. Methods: Rectal and tympanic temperatures were measured consecutively in 400 febrile and 400 afebrile under-5 children matched for age, using the mercury-in-glass thermometer and the IRTT in oral mode respectively. Results: In the febrile children, the mean tympanic temperature was 38.6 ± 0.9°C, while the mean rectal temperature was 39.0 ± 0.8°C. In the afebrile group, the mean tympanic temperature was 37.0 ± 0.4°C, while the mean rectal temperature was 37.4 ± 0.3°C. The mean difference between rectal and tympanic temperatures in both groups was statistically significant. There was good correlation between the two temperatures. The tympanic thermometer used in the oral mode had a sensitivity of 87.3% and a specificity of 96.5%. Conclusion: The IRTT (oral mode) may not be reliable in estimating ‘core’ body temperature in children under the age of five years, but with a fairly good sensitivity and specificity, as well as its other advantages such as short duration of measurement, convenience and safety, it is a useful instrument for screening children with fever in a busy setup.

Background Urinary tract infection (UTI) is a common cause of childhood morbidity and mortality in the tropics. Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) may have compromised kidney function arising from repeated vaso-occlusive episodes and recurrent symptomatic or asymptomatic UTI. Objectives This study aims at determining the prevalence of asymptomatic bacteriuria and sensitivity pattern in children with homozygous sickle haemoglobin compared to children with normal haemoglobin. Methods One hundred children with SCA in stable state and 100 children with normal haemoglobin aged 2-12 years were screened for asymptomatic bacteriuria using midstream urine samples. The samples were incubated aerobically at 37°C for 24 hours within one hour of collection. Children whose urine samples yielded significant bacteriuria (≥105cfu/ml) on two consecutive cultures were regarded as having asymptomatic bacteriuria. Results Asymptomatic bacteriuria was noted in 6% of children with SCA and occurred more in females than males (F: M = 5:1) when compared to 2% in children with normal haemoglobin. Escherichia coli was the commonest organism isolated (33.3%). All the organisms were resistant to co-trimoxazole and ampicillin while most were sensitive to gentamicin, ceftriaxone and the quinolones. Conclusion The risk of asymptomatic bacteriuria is three times more common in children with sickle cell anemia than in children with normal haemoglobin. It is therefore important to screen SCA patients, especially the females for UTI and should be treated according to the sensitivity result of the cultured organisms.