Publication:

Clinical and haematological profile of children with sickle cell anaemia admitted to a rural medical college of Chhattisgarh, India

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common single gene disorder resulting in hemolytic anemia. Aim of the study was to describe the clinico-haematological profile of children with sickle cell anaemia admitted to Paediatric ward/PICU with any acute clinical event and to find out the association between high HbF level, frequency of crises episodes and requirement of blood transfusion in sickle cell anemia.

Methods Hospital based descriptive study. Retrospective data analysis was done from medical records of patients between 0-15 years age group admitted to hospital from March 2014 to August 2017.

Results Total 68 clinical events were recorded in 60 patients during the study period. More than half of the children were in 0-5 years age group. Mean age of diagnosis was 2.79 years. Severe anemia requiring blood transfusion was the most common cause of hospitalization followed by painful crises. Mean Hb level in the children was 6.65(±2.38). More than one third of children had associated nutritional anemia. Children with high HbF level were found to have less number of painful crises episodes.

Conclusions Severe anemia followed by painful crises were the commonest presentations requiring admission in our hospital. Chronic anemia with microcytosis and high HbF level is the hematological profile of the present study group. Children with high HbF level suffered from less number of painful crises episodes when compared to children with low HbF. But the requirement of blood transfusion was similar in both groups.