Frequency and risk factors associated with hearing loss in sickle cell patients at the SS Mixed Medicine and Anemia Center in Kinshasa. A cross-sectional study

Context and objective. A high frequency of hearing loss has been reported in sickle cell patients. However, its extent remains unknown in the Democratic Republic of Congo where there is a high rate of sickle cell patients. The objective was to determine the frequency of deafness and associated risk factors in sickle cell patients. Methods. This analytical cross-sectional study included sickle cell patients aged at least 6 years followed at the Mixed Medicine and SS Anemia Center in Kinshasa from September 1, 2022 to February 28, 2023. Sociodemographic, clinical and audiometric variables were analyzed. The association between two variables was assessed using the chi-square test with a threshold of p <0.05. Results. In total, 110 sickle cell patients were included in the study. The median age was 15 years with extremes of 6 and 50 years. Female sex was predominant with 60% of cases. The deafness rate was 60.9% including 42.7% of neurosensory deafness and 18.2% of conductive deafness. Not taking hydroxyurea (adjusted OR = 18.93 [2.3-158.6]; p = 0.007), the presence of jaundice (adjusted OR = 15.87 [3.3-77.3]; p = 0.001), Hb level ≤ 7.9 g/dl (adjusted OR = 3.57 [1.34-9.52]; p = 0.0011) and female gender (adjusted OR = 2.99 [1.11-8.03]; p = 0.030) were significantly associated with deafness in sickle cell patients. Conclusion. The high frequency of hearing loss in sickle cell patients in the present study requires public health actions focused on the associated risk factors for its management. Received: December 31th, 2023 Accepted: January 11th, 2025 https://dx.doi.org/10.4314/aamed.v18i2.8