Neurological disorders in Nigerian children with homozygous sickle cell anaemia

The pattern of associated Central Nervous System (CNS) disorders in children with homozygous sickle cell anaemia was studied over a 12-month period at the University of Nigeria Teaching Hospital (UNTH), Enugu. The relative incidence of associated neurological disorders was 1.3%, and the major varieties were cerebrovascular accidents (57.5%), meningitis (22.5%) and recurrent convulsions (10%). Intellectual impairment did not feature as a separate entity, but was observed in 27.5% of children with CNS complications. Although recurrent strokes were not frequently encountered, the hypertransfusion therapy was not practised because of relative scarcity of blood donors.