Splenic function in sickle cell anemia patients in Qatif, Saudi Arabia

A prospective study was conducted to study the splenic function among sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients in Qatif (Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia). Seventy-seven patients (30 children and 47 adults aged 2-57 years) were included. (99m)Tc stannous colloid liver-spleen scan was done for each patient during steady state. The splenic function was graded from 0 to 4 in relation to liver uptake. Seventy percent of our patients showed evidence of splenic hypofunction, and most of them (83%) had severe hyposplenism. Up to the age of 4 years, only 17% of the children showed evidence of functional hyposplenism, but by the age of 10 years >50% were hyposplenic. Most of the hyposplenic children had functional hyposplenism, whereas only one-third of hyposplenic adults had autosplenectomy. There was no effect of level of HbF on the frequency of hyposplenism, but on the other hand low MCV seems to be protective against hyposplenism. A significant number of adult SCA patients have clinically enlarged spleens, and almost a third have normally functioning spleens. Because of the low prevalence of hyposplenism in children younger than 4 years of age, routine penicillin prophylaxis is probably not indicated in this population, an issue which needs further evaluation.