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. 2021 Oct 29;21(1):480.
doi: 10.1186/s12887-021-02960-1.

Anemia among children living with HIV/AIDS on HAART in Mekelle Hospital, Tigray regional state of northern ethiopia - a cross-sectional study

Feven Tesfay  1 , Abrha Gebregerges  2 , Haftay Gebrehiwot  2 , Haftu Hailekiros  2 , Letegebriel Girmay  2 , Hadush Bekuretsion  3 , Gebrekidan Gebrezigher  4 , Gebreslassie Gebremariam  2 , Gebreyohannes Teklehaimanot  2
Affiliations

Anemia among children living with HIV/AIDS on HAART in Mekelle Hospital, Tigray regional state of northern ethiopia - a cross-sectional study

Feven Tesfay et al. BMC Pediatr. .

Abstract

Background: Anemia is a common complication of HIV/AIDS in children. There is lack of evidence on anemia prevalence among children living with HIV/AIDS on highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) in Tigray regional state, which the current study aimed to generate.

Methods: An institution-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 241 children living with HIV/AIDS on HAART attending the antiretroviral therapy (ART) clinic of Mekelle hospital from November 2018-January 2019. Socio-demographic data were collected using a structured pretested questionnaire. Participants' hemoglobin level was utilized to determine the prevalence of anemia. WHO cut-off values for Hgb were used to categorise the severity of anemia. Microscopic examination was performed for morphological classification of anemia.

Results: Among the participants, 7 % (n = 16) were anemic in this study. Of these, 56 %, 19 %, and 25 % had mild, moderate, and severe anemia, respectively. Morphologically, normocytic-normochromic anemia was found the most common type of anemia in this study.

Conclusions: The prevalence of anemia among participants was low in this study. However, a considerable proportion of participants had severe anemia, requiring regular monitoring of anemia status in these patients for better clinical outcomes and quality of life improvements.

Keywords: Anemia; Children; Ethiopia; HAART; HIV/AIDS; Tigray.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Morphology features of anemia in children living with HIV/AIDS on HAART at Mekelle hospital, 2019
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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