Profile of Sickle Cell Disease Patients Admitted for Management of an Acute Complication in the Pediatrics Department of the Cocody University Hospital (CHU)

Introduction: Sickle-cell anemia is the source of numerous potentially fatal complications in the absence of adequate management. The aim was to contribute to improving the management of acute complications of sickle cell disease. Methodology: This was a retrospective descriptive study. It took place in the pediatrics department of the Cocoy University Hospital (CHU) from January 1 to December 31, 2022. We included all patients hospitalized for management of acute complications of sickle cell disease. Results: We identified 81 cases. The hospital prevalence of acute complications of sickle cell disease was 17.48%. The mean age was 6 years 5 months, with a sex ratio of 1.02. In 92.6% of cases, children were known to have sickle cell disease prior to hospitalization, and the mean age of discovery was 34.01 months ± 29.273. The patients’ electrophoretic profile was dominated by the SS form in 45.7% of cases and SFA2 in 32.1%. Follow-up was irregular in 61.7% of cases. Anemia, fever, pain and respiratory difficulty were present in 80.3%, 69%, 67.9% and 32.1% of cases respectively. APS was diagnosed in 6 patients. Infectious complications were dominated by malaria (39.5%). The majority of our children received antibiotic therapy (76.5%). Surgical treatment was undertaken in 5 patients with osteoarticular infections. The outcome was favorable in 91.40% of cases, with 2 cases of death. Average hospital stay was 8.20 days. Conclusion: Improving the vital prognosis of children with sickle cell disease requires effective diagnosis and management of acute complications.