HIV and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) Deficiency among University Athletes in Rivers State, Nigeria

Aim: Athletes are not immune to human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and Glucose-6-Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G-6-PD) deficiency, and these conditions do not cause any harm or damage to their body as long as the necessary precautions in term of medications and others are adhered to. This research’s main objective was to determine the prevalence rate of G-6-PD deficiency and HIV among the University athletes in Rivers State, Nigeria.

Study Design: Cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: Sports Institute, University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Nigeria, between June 2012 and July 2015.

Methods: A total of 258 athletes were screened (134 females and 124 males) for HIV and G-6-PD deficiency. The athletes’ ages, gender and dates of birth were obtained and recorded. The presence of the HIV-1 and HIV-2 antibody was detected using the Uni-Gold™ Recombigen® HIV-1/2 for the detection of HIV. While Beutler Semi-quantitative G-6-PD Test Kit (BSA-3000) was utilized for the quantitative detection of G-6-PD deficiency in whole blood.

Results: Of the 258 athletes tested, 0.7% was G-6-PD deficient while 1.2% was positive for HIV. The G-6-PD deficient positive cases were found in the age range of 21-25 years while the higher prevalence of HIV was observed in the age range 31-35 years (4.8%), followed by 26-30 years (1.9%) and the least was observed in the age group 21-25 years (0.7%). Age and gender had no significant relationship with the positivity of the athletes to HIV and G-6-PD (p-value >0.05).

Conclusion: This study confirms the presence of HIV and G-6-PD deficiency among university athletes in Rivers State, Nigeria. This calls for routine testing of both the athletes and the general public for G-6-PD deficiency to prevent hemolysis causes by G-6-PD deficiency.