Ninety-nine Saudi Arabian children aged between 3 months and 15 years attending the sickle cell anaemia (SCA) clinic were studied using a review of case notes and an interview at clinic visits. All the patients come from the southwest and west area of Saudi Arabia. Despite the lack of infant screening for SCA, 73 per cent were diagnosed before the age of 3 years, reflecting severe early symptoms of the disease. The serious complications of SCA were two times higher, the number of admissions were three times higher and the attack rate for pneumococcal meningitis was nine times higher in our study population than previously reported from the Eastern Province of the country. Hand-foot syndrome was the commonest complication affecting 58 per cent of the children. It has been stated previously that there is no need to give penicillin prophylaxis to SCA children in Saudi Arabia, based on the observations in the Eastern Province only. Our study shows that SCA in western and southwestern population of Saudi Arabia is as severe as is described in American blacks. Therefore, we recommend penicillin prophylaxis to be given to the SCA children in the southwest and west regions of the country.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
hi@scite.ai
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.