title: Assessment of cardiac functions in children with sickle cell anemia: doppler tissue imaging study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The extent in which sickle cell anemia (SCA) impacts myocardial function in children is unclear. Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) was introduced as a new non-invasive echocardiographic method for assessment of ventricular systolic and diastolic functions. We undertook this study to assess subclinical impact of SCA on global myocardial performance in affected children using DTI and to correlate it with mean hemoglobin concentration.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty five children with SCA (mean age 11.82 ± 3.7 years) was included as the study group and 55 age- and sex-matched healthy children as the control group. Conventional two-dimensional echocardiography was performed in both groups and DTI was used to determine right ventricular (RV) and left ventricular (LV) Tei indexes. Mean Hb concentration was correlated to the cardiac functions of SCA children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  RV and LV Tei indexes were significantly higher in SCA group (mean ± SD: 0.54 ± 0.19 vs. 0.27 ± 0.01, p <0.0001 and 0.47 ± 0.09 vs. 0.30 ± 0.07, p <0.0001, respectively). Also, mean Hb concentration was correlated negatively with both LV Tei index (r = -0.611, p <0.0001) and with RV Tei index (r = -0.894, p <0.0001). On the contrary, fractional shortening (FS) did not correlate with mean Hb concentration (r = -0.044, p = 0.681).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  DTI technique appears to be more sensitive than conventional echocardiography in the early detection of myocardial dysfunction in children with SCA. This provides insights into the value of early screening and the potential for preventive therapy in children to avert cardiac morbidity and mortality in adults with SCA.
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia. Electronic address: hanyhaded1@gmail.com.
authors: Hany M A
authors: HM
authors: AboHadeed
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Mohamed A
authors: MA
authors: Zolaly
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Saad Q
authors: SQ
authors: Khoshhal
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Faculty of Medicine, Taibah University, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Khaled M
authors: KM
authors: El-Harbi
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Maternity and Child Hospital, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Ahmed M
authors: AM
authors: Tarawah
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Maternity and Child Hospital, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Zakaria M
authors: ZM
authors: Al-Hawsawi
authors: Department of Pediatrics, Maternity and Child Hospital, Al-Madinah Al-Munawwarah, Saudi Arabia.
authors: Ibrahim
authors: I
authors: Al-Mozainy
mesh_terms: D000755:Anemia, Sickle Cell / Q000150:complications*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male
keywords: Cardiac functions; Doppler tissue imaging; Sickle cell anemia