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. 2023 Sep 3;6(9):e1534.
doi: 10.1002/hsr2.1534. eCollection 2023 Sep.

Hospitalizations among children with sickle cell disease enrolled in the Kumasi Sickle Cell Pan African Consortium (SPARCo) database: A cross sectional study

Yaa Gyamfua Oppong-Mensah  1 , Samuel Frimpong Odoom  1 , Isaac Nyanor  1 , Evans Xorse Amuzu  1 , Suraj Abubakar Yawnumah  1 , Emmanuel Asafo-Adjei  1 , Samuel Blay Nguah  1   2 , Daniel Ansong  1   2 , Alex Osei-Akoto  1   2 , Vivian Paintsil  1   2
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Hospitalizations among children with sickle cell disease enrolled in the Kumasi Sickle Cell Pan African Consortium (SPARCo) database: A cross sectional study

Yaa Gyamfua Oppong-Mensah et al. Health Sci Rep. .

Abstract

Background and aims: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the commonest monogenic haemolytic disorder in Africa. Despite strides made in its management, a significant proportion of patients are hospitalized from the various complications of the disease. This study set out to describe the main causes and outcomes of hospitalizations among pediatric patients with SCD.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted at the Pediatric Emergency Unit of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital within a period of 12 months to recruit pediatric SCD patients. This study looked at causes of admission, length of hospital stay (LOS), and outcome of admission.

Results: Of the 201 SCD patients recruited, 57.2% were males and majority were of SCD-SS phenotype 83.1%. The median age was 6 years. The three leading causes of hospitalization were Vaso-occlusive pain events (VOPE) (39.8%), acute chest syndrome (ACS) (25.9%), and infections (12.4%). Ten (5.0%) of the patients presented with a stroke. High admissions were observed in June (12.4%) and November (16.9%). The median (interquartile range [IQR]) LOS was 6 days (IQR: 4-10). Six (3.0%) of the patients died from complications of the disease during hospitalization.

Conclusion: VOPE, ACS, infections, and acute anaemia from hyperhaemolysis were observed as the most common causes of admissions among SCD patients. A good outcome of discharge was seen in most of the patients that were hospitalized with a median length of stay of 6 days. This study also strengthens the importance of a good SCD database with patient follow-ups for better outcomes in SCD patients.

Keywords: Vaso‐occlusive pain episodes; acute chest syndrome; hospitalization; infections; length of hospital stay; sickle cell disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Trend in the admission of SCD patients. SCD, sickle cell disease.
Figure 2
Figure 2
SCD phenotype of patients presenting with VOPE, ACS, and Stroke. ACS, acute chest syndrome; SCD, sickle cell disease; VOPE, Vaso‐occlusive pain events.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Age distribution of patients presenting with VOPE, ACS, and Stroke. ACS, acute chest syndrome; SCD, sickle cell disease; VOPE, Vaso‐occlusive pain events.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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