Echocardiographic findings among children with sickle cell anaemia at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital

Few studies documenting the echocardiographic findings of patients with sickle cell anaemia have been reported from Africa despite the high prevalence of the disease on the continent.

The present study aimed to determine echocardiographic cardiac dimensions and haemodynamic parameters of children with homozygous sickle cell anaemia (SCA), in steady state at the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH).

Sixty children with SCA and sixty age and sex matched controls with ages ranging from 1-15 years were studied. Their cardiovascular functions were determined by echocardiographic examination.

Mean age of SCA patients and controls were 95.41 ± 49.06 months and 95.45 ± 50.9 months respectively (p = 0.97). Mean left atrial dimension (LA), left ventricular end diastolic diameter (LVEDD), left ventricular end systolic diameter (LVESD), left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVPW), Interventricular septal thickness (IVS) and left ventricular mass (LVM) in SCA patients were significantly larger than those of controls (p < 0.001 for each parameter). Left ventricular fractional shortening (FS) and ejection fraction (EF) were within acceptable normal limits although significantly lower in SCA patients (p < 0.001). The mean haemoglobin concentration in the subjects (77.23 ± 12.88) was significantly lower than in the controls (121 ± 16.09) (p < 0.001). Each direct echocardiographic parameter (LAD, AO, LVEDD, LVESD, IVS, LVPW and LVM) correlated significantly with age in both groups while left ventricular functional parameters (FS and EF) did not in both groups. Chamber dimensions, LVPW, FS and EF were inversely correlated with haemoglobin concentration in the subjects.