THE PREVALENCE OF TRANSFUSION DEPENDENT ANAEMIA AMONG RECENTLY TRANSFUSED PATIENTS

ABSTRACT

Transfusion dependent anaemia” although less common than other types of anaemia is a form of anemia characterized by the need for continuous blood transfusion. Management of patients with transfusion-dependent anemia is complex and diagnosis frequently difficult as numerous disorders and chronic illness may lead to transfusion dependent anaemia. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of transfusion dependent anaemia among recently transfused patients in Benin City. A total of 100 blood samples was collected from patients involved in this study. The collected blood samples were analyzed using part five automated haematological analyzer and colorimetric method for serum iron estimation. A prevalence of about 43% (n=34) was recorded for transfusion depemdent anaemia. The mean reticulocyte count of all subjects was 3.5600 SD± 1.47%. Also majority of the male subjects had their haemoglobin concentration less than 14mg/dl (n=40; 71.4%) while females subjects which had their haemoglobin concentration less than 12mg/dl were less (n=12; 27.3%). However the reason for the significant inequality in the distribution of anaemia among gender remains unknown. The mean serum iron levels among all subjects was 189.4200 ± 30.52mcg/dl. This is significantly higher when compared to control subjects which had mean serum iron level of 152.1211±21.62mcg/dl. High serum iron levels have been associated with patients that have received blood transfusions and even worse in patients undergoing series of blood transfusion, of which, such conditions have been implicated in overload and possibly organ damage. This study was able to revealed a high prevalence of transfusion dependent anaemia among hospital patients recently transfused. The findings have justified the driving hypothesis of a significant prevalence of transfusion dependent anaemia among recently transfused hospital patients. Although a high prevalence of about 43% was recorded, underling illness including chronic diseases are primary factors, necessitating the need for series of blood transfusion.