Burden of diagnostic radiation exposure in children with sickle cell disease

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are repeatedly exposed to diagnostic radiation. We identified 938 children with SCD who had 9,246 radiographic tests. Mean number of tests/patient was 9.9 (95% CI: 8.9-10.9) over 8,817 patient-years. Mean rate was 1.5 tests/year (95% CI: 1.3-1.6). On average, a child with SCD will have 26.7 (95% CI: 24.1-29.3) radiographic tests by 18 years of age, and 5% will have ≥100 tests. Six percent have ≥3 CT scans, which may be associated with an increased risk of cancer. Strong consideration should be given to limiting the exposure of children with SCD to radiation.