Incidence of sickle cell disease and its complications: A study in tertiary care centre of central india

Background

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited hemoglobin disorder caused by a mutation in the β-globin gene, resulting in HbS formation and red cell sickling. It is associated with chronic anemia, vaso-occlusive manifestations, and multiple systemic complications. This study was undertaken to determine the prevalence of SCD and assess its clinical, hematological, and complication profile among children in Central India. Materials and Methods: A hospital-based, cross-sectional prospective observational study was conducted over two years in the Department of Paediatrics at SSIMS, Junwani, Bhilai, Chhattisgarh. A total of 225 children aged 6 months to 18 years were enrolled using consecutive sampling. Clinical assessment and hematological investigations were performed. Sickling test was used for screening, followed by high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) for confirmation and characterization of hemoglobin variants.