[Cardiac manifestations of sickle cell disease]

In this study the authors report the cardiac complications seen in the course of sickle-cell disease. Among 41 homozygot patients the complications reported were as follow. Effort dyspnea in 15/32 (46% cases); systolic souffle in 36 patients (87.8% of cases); cardiomegaly in 30 patients (17% of cases) and electric abnormalities in 70% of cases. The echotomography practised in 27 cases was normal in 12 cases and showed a hyperkinetic aspect in 10 cases, a cardiomyopathy in four cases.