title: Splenic function in sickle cell anemia patients in Qatif, Saudi Arabia.
abstract: A prospective study was conducted to study the splenic function among sickle cell anemia (SCA) patients in Qatif (Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia). Seventy-seven patients (30 children and 47 adults aged 2-57 years) were included. (99m)Tc stannous colloid liver-spleen scan was done for each patient during steady state. The splenic function was graded from 0 to 4 in relation to liver uptake. Seventy percent of our patients showed evidence of splenic hypofunction, and most of them (83%) had severe hyposplenism. Up to the age of 4 years, only 17% of the children showed evidence of functional hyposplenism, but by the age of 10 years >50% were hyposplenic. Most of the hyposplenic children had functional hyposplenism, whereas only one-third of hyposplenic adults had autosplenectomy. There was no effect of level of HbF on the frequency of hyposplenism, but on the other hand low MCV seems to be protective against hyposplenism. A significant number of adult SCA patients have clinically enlarged spleens, and almost a third have normally functioning spleens. Because of the low prevalence of hyposplenism in children younger than 4 years of age, routine penicillin prophylaxis is probably not indicated in this population, an issue which needs further evaluation.
authors.affiliation: Internal Medicine Department, Qatif Central Hospital (QCH), Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Al-Jam'a
authors.forename: I A
authors.initials: IA
authors.lastname: Al-Dabbous
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Chirala
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Al-Majid
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Al-Ali
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D015897:Comorbidity; D004909:Erythrocyte Indices; D005260:Female; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin / Q000378:metabolism; D006529:Hepatomegaly / Q000175:diagnosis; D006801:Humans; D008099:Liver / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012157:Mononuclear Phagocyte System / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D015995:Prevalence; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D012529:Saudi Arabia / Q000453:epidemiology; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013154:Spleen / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging; D013158:Splenic Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000453:epidemiology*; D013163:Splenomegaly / Q000175:diagnosis; D017556:Technetium Compounds; D014002:Tin Fluorides
chemical_list: D017556:Technetium Compounds; D014002:Tin Fluorides; C036078:technetium Tc 99m tin fluoride colloid; D005319:Fetal Hemoglobin