Associations of ultrasound splenic size and clinico-laboratory values in patients with Sickle Cell Anemia at University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria

Background/Aims: Sickle cell anemia also known as haemoglobin SS (HbSS) is a genetic disease arising from the replacement of glutamic acid with valine at position 6 of the beta hemoglobin chain. This vaso-occlusive disease affects most of the organs in the body with the spleen commonly affected resulting in recurrent infarction. This study aims to assess the relationship between the ultrasound splenic length (LS) with the steady state packed cell volume (PCV), frequency of blood transfusion, and anthropometric parameters (weight and height) among patients with sickle cell anemia. Materials and Methods: This is an observational cross-sectional study with 128 consenting HbSS patients recruited. Sickle cell anemia (HbSS) patients with no crises/illness within the last 4 weeks prior to the study period were included in the study. Patient’s demographics, steady PCV and ultrasound findings of the spleen were documented into the study pro forma. Data were analyzed using the Statistical package for the Social Sciences software version 21. Mean, median, standard deviation, and Chi-square were used. A P ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically significant and a confidence interval (CI) of 95%. Results: The median age for all the patients was 19.00 years with a CI of 19.06–23.2 years. For children (2–17 years), the median age was 11.00 years with a CI of 9.35–11.36 years while for the adults was 28.00 years with a CI of 27.40–31.77 years. The median steady-PCV obtained in this study was 25.0%. Adult HbSS patients with normal LS had a significant correlation with the steady PCV. Conclusion: Normal-sized spleen on sonography may be a pointer to the steady PCV in sickle cell anemia patients. This study, therefore, suggests the need for sonography of the spleen in HbSS patients as part of their routine follow-up investigations.