Prevalence of cerebral stroke among patients diagnosed with sickle cell disease at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a common inherited blood disease described by persisting episodes of ischemia and reperfusion injury. Stroke in SCD patients is a debilitating complication with resultant structural and functional defects. This serious complication should be investigated and prevented to improve the quality of life in SCD patients. Objective: Our aim in this study was to determine the prevalence of overt stroke among SCD pediatric patients at King Abdul-Aziz University Hospital (KAUH), Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Method: This retrospective study was conducted by reviewing SCD pediatric patients' medical records of patients from January 2010 until July 2018 at KAUH. The target population was SCD patients who had a diagnosis of stroke before the age of eighteen years. Descriptive statistics including proportions and percentages were calculated to provide an overview of the demographic and clinical characteristics of SCD patients. Result: A total of 412 patients were enrolled in this study. There were 65 patients with a diagnosis of stroke. 34 were male and 31 were female (52.3% and 47.7% respectively) with mean age of 15.8 years (SD +/- 6.6). The prevalence of stroke among SCD pediatric patients was 15.8%. Mortality rate was 7.7% (5 of 65) in patients who had stroke. Common clinical characteristics were identified in SCD patients with stroke such as low Hemoglobin F level (Hb F) (Mean 9.7 +/- 7.6). Among SCD patients with stroke, increased frequency of vaso-occlusive crisis (VOC) and acute chest syndrome (ACS) were found in 44 patients and 17 patients (67.7% and 26.25 respectively). Ethnicity was a significant risk factor of stroke incidence, higher incidence of stroke was found among Middle Eastern patients, followed by African and Asian (52.3%, 46.2% and 1.5% respectively). Conclusion: The prevalence of cerebral stroke among children diagnosed with SCD was 15.8% at KAUH in Jeddah. Stroke-related mortality was significantly high. Associated co-morbidities were common findings among these children.