Outpatient Management of Sickle Cell Disease: Assessment of 13 Years Follow-Up of Pediatric Patients at the Sylvanus Olympio University Hospital

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate thirteen years of ambulatory follow-up of patients with major forms of sickle cell disease. Methods: This was a study of 1055 records of sickle cell patients aged 6 months to 45 years followed between 2006 and 2018. Results: Six hundred and eighty-one (64.5%) homozygous SS, 283 (26.8%) SC, 86 (8.2%) SF, 4 (0.4%) Sß thalassemia and 1 (0.1%) SD sickle cell patients were followed. The majority of the patients (97.9%) were living in the capital city of Lomé and its surrounding suburbs. Most children (67.3%) were less than 5-year-old when they were diagnosed with sickle cell disease, and only 21.3% of cases were discovered before the first year birthday of the patients. Osteo-articular vaso occlusive crisis (VOC) was the principal symp-tom at the onset of the diagnosis, approximately 28.9% of the cases, followed by severe anemia (19%), then hand-foot syndrome in 15.6%. natal screening does not exist, and diagnosis is often late. The improvement in quality of life observed should be studied.