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. 2025 Jul 7;17(7):e87432.
doi: 10.7759/cureus.87432. eCollection 2025 Jul.

Hematological Characteristics of Patients With Sickle Cell Disease in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

Mohammad H Al Khamees  1 , Bader AlAlwan  2 , Mohammed Al Saleh  2 , Aymen A Alqurain  3 , Mohammed S Bu-Kheder  1 , Habeeb K Bin Khalaf  1 , Yahya A Al Fenes  1 , Baqer Alkhadhrawi  1 , Abdulhadi Al Hajji  1 , Nida Alsafar  2
Affiliations

Hematological Characteristics of Patients With Sickle Cell Disease in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia

Mohammad H Al Khamees et al. Cureus. .

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an autosomal recessive illness characterized by severe morbidity and mortality rates. Although numerous studies on SCD have been conducted worldwide, the hematological features of SCD in the Middle East require further investigation. Therefore, we conducted this study to examine the hematological characteristics of SCD in Saudi Arabia, specifically in the Al Ahsa region. We performed a retrospective examination of health records at King Fahad Hospital in Hofuf, and data were analyzed in relation to gender, age, and other demographic factors. This study included a total of 96 records, with an average age of patients being 33 years. The majority of the patients (60%) were male. Most of the patients were anemic (99%), with one-quarter (26%) suffering from mild-to-moderate anemia (hemoglobin (Hb) above 10 g/dL) and the remaining three-quarters (74%) suffering from severe anemia (Hb below 10 g/dL). Correlation studies show that older patients (above 50 years old) are more severely affected by the disease compared to younger adult groups, evidenced by a strong negative correlation between age and both Hb levels and red blood cell counts (RBCs). Severe anemia is more common in females than in males, with a mean Hb of 8.4 g/dL in females (79% having Hb below 10 g/dL) compared to a mean Hb of 9.0 g/dL in males (71% having Hb below 10 g/dL). About half of the studied SCD population showed abnormal platelet counts (51%), with no significant difference between males and females. Thrombocytosis was slightly more prevalent than thrombocytopenia (31% vs. 20%). Our study indicates that SCD in Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia, is associated with moderate-to-severe anemia. The impact of the disease is more pronounced in older individuals and females. Abnormal platelet counts are common among SCD patients in the Al Ahsa region. These findings should be taken into account when addressing SCD in the eastern province of Saudi Arabia and possibly in other regions.

Keywords: al ahsa; anemia; hematological characteristics; saudi arabia; scd; sickle cell crisis.

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Conflict of interest statement

Human subjects: Informed consent for treatment and open access publication was obtained or waived by all participants in this study. Al Ahsa Health Cluster’s IRB (H-05-HS-065) issued approval 02-E-2024. Al Ahsa Health Cluster’s IRB (H-05-HS-065) is pleased to inform you that your study mentioned below has been exempted from the full review on the basis of the approval from the IRB KFHH No. (H-05-HS-065), dated: 30-03-2023, with No: 21-EP-2023 This letter gives you ethical clearance to implement your study according to the approved documents, and you still need to obtain administrative approval from the site/s where the study will be conducted. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1. Age and gender distribution of the study population.
(a) Gender distribution of the study participants showing 38 females (40%) and 58 males (60%) out of a total of 96 participants. (b) Age distribution histogram illustrating the frequency of participants across different age groups, with the highest concentration observed in the 22–26 age range.
Figure 2
Figure 2. Hematological indices (HCT, MCV, MCH, and MCHC) showing no significant correlation with age or gender.
(a, b) Histogram and boxplot of hematocrit (HCT) values. (c, d) Histogram and boxplot of mean corpuscular volume (MCV). (e, f) Histogram and boxplot of mean corpuscular hemoglobin (MCH). (g, h) Histogram and boxplot of the mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC). Histograms illustrate the frequency distribution, while boxplots show the median, interquartile range, and outliers for each parameter.
Figure 3
Figure 3. Distribution of patients with normal hemoglobin (Hb) levels and patients with anemia among study population.
(a) Overall classification of participants based on their hemoglobin levels, showing 1% (n = 1) had normal Hb levels and 99% (n = 95) were anaemic. (b) Distribution of participants <10 g/dL or >10 g/dL, with 74% (n = 71) below and 26% (n = 25) above this level. (c) Comparison of mean Hb levels between males (9.0 g/dL) and females (8.4 g/dL). (d) Male participants: 71% (n = 41) had Hb <10 g/dL, while 29% (n = 17) had Hb >10 g/dL. (e) Female participants: 79% (n = 30) had Hb <10 g/dL, while 21% (n = 8) had Hb >10 g/dL.
Figure 4
Figure 4. The percentage of normal and abnormal platelet counts among studied SCD patients and differences in these percentages among males and females.
Distribution of platelet counts among participants categorized as low, high, and normal. (a) Overall distribution: 19.8% had low platelet, 31.2% had high platelet, and 49.0% had normal platelet levels. (b) Among males: 19.0% had low, 29.3% had high, and 51.7% had normal platelet levels. (c) Among females: 21.1% had low, 34.2% had high, and 44.7% had normal platelet levels. SCD: Sickle cell disease
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