Association between hearing impairment, school performance and cognitive function in children and adolescents with sickle cell disease

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the result of a mutation in haemoglobin S, which causes physical and chemical changes. Haemoglobin S is prone to premature destruction, culminating in chronic haemolytic anaemia. In addition, this structure, being more rigid and not flexible, fixes more easily to the wall of the vascular endothelium, contributing to thrombotic phenomena and culminating in blood vessel stenosis [1].All these processes of chronic haemolytic anaemia and vaso-occlusive processes generate changes in several organs and systems, including changes in the auditory system, typically sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL), and in structures