Abstract / Summary
Cardiovascular abnormalities contribute to morbidity in sickle cell disease, but data from adolescents and young adults in sub-Saharan Africa are limited. We conducted a hospital-based pilot cross-sectional study among 60 participants aged 13–30 years with homozygous sickle cell disease at steady-state at Mulago National Referral Hospital in Uganda. All participants underwent NT-proBNP measurement, electrocardiography, and transthoracic echocardiography. Forty-seven participants (78.3%) had at least one cardiovascular abnormality, most commonly T-wave abnormalities (46.7%), left ventricular hypertrophy by voltage criteria (30.0%), left ventricular diastolic dysfunction (28.3%), and probable pulmonary hypertension (11.7%). Five participants (8.3%) had NT-proBNP concentrations ≥ 160 pg/mL. Cardiovascular abnormalities were present in 60% of participants with elevated NT-proBNP and 80% with concentrations below the threshold; the adjusted prevalence ratio was 0.75 (95% CI 0.36–1.57). No statistically significant association was detected, but the small number of participants with elevated NT-proBNP resulted in substantial imprecision. Larger longitudinal studies are needed to clarify the relationship between NT-proBNP and specific cardiovascular phenotypes in this population.