Human Immunodeficiency and Hepatitis B Viral Infections Among Patients With Sickle Cell Disease in Dar Es Salaam City, Tanzania: A Descriptive Study

Background: Tanzania is not only the fourth in the world with the highest number of sickle cell disease (SCD) births but also endemic to Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections. This study was done to determine the prevalence of HIV and HBV infections and their associated factors among SCD patients in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. Methods: : A multicenter hospital-based descriptive cross sectional study was done among participants aged ≥16 years. Participants’ socio-demographic and clinical data were recorded. Blood samples were drawn for HIV and HBV diagnosis. Categorical variables were summarized into frequencies and compared using Fisher’s exact test while continuous variables were summarized into mean and standard deviation. Logistic regression was done to ascertain predictors of HIV infection. P values <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results: There were 185/325 (56.7%) females. Mean (SD) age and hemoglobin were 23.04 ± 7.45 years and 7.4 (± 1.58)g/dl respectively. The prevalence of HIV and HBV were 1.8% and 1.2% respectively. None of the risk factors was associated with HIV. No associations were calculated for HBV owing to small numbers. Conclusions: : Prevalence of HIV and that of HBV infection are much lower in SCD patients in Dar es Salaam than the national prevalence of the two infections in the general population. The findings could not associate any risk factor with HIV infection. A nationwide similar study should be conducted to obtain enough numbers for characterization of the two infections in these patients.