Causes of hospitalization in sickle cell diseased children in western region of Saudi Arabia. A single center study

OBJECTIVES: To highlight the causes of hospitalization among sickle cell diseased (SCD) children in Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. METHODS: A retrospective study conducted at the Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Al-Madinah Al-Munawarah, Saudi Arabia. A data of 739 SCD children admitted to the hematology/oncology unit between October 2010 and September 2015 were collected. The collected data were analyzed using an independent t test and a Chi square test as appropriate. RESULTS: Approximately 49% of the studied children were presented by acute painful crisis. Acute chest syndrome was reported in 20.9%. Infection was the cause of admission in 17.5%, and acute anemia was reported in 8.1% of the studied patients. No significant difference of the reported clinical manifestations by patients’ gender. Children aged <12 years showed significantly high frequency of acute chest syndrome (ACS) (26.5%), while acute painful crisis (66.4%) was significantly more frequent among children aged ≥12 years. CONCLUSION: This study revealed high rate of hospitalization of SCD children because of acute painful crisis, ACS, infection, and anemia. These admissions causes could potentially be continuously assessed to minimize the rate of hospitalization.