THE ROLE OF HU IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VASO-OCCLUSIVE CRISES IN SICKLE CELL ANEMIA.

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Background: Sickle Cell Anemia (SCA) is a chronic inherited form of haemolytic anemias. The estimated prevalence of SCA trait carriers in Saudi Arabia is 4.2%. Patients manifest with frequent infections and recurrent Vaso-Occlusive Crisis (VOC). Hydroxy Urea (HU) is used to modulate the severity of SCA phenotype, and for treating painful VOCs.This study aim to explore the perceptions of SCA patients on HU, and other clinical and biomedical manifestations. Methods: A prospective comparative study, conducted in Jeddah. Patients were classified into two groups; (10) patients in the study group on HU, and (8) others in the control group on other treatments. Results: The study included (18) patients, (12) females and (6) males, aged between (8-36) years. While the group on HU had slightly lower Hb levels (7.95  1.3 Vs 8.44  1.3), the controls had lower MCV levels. Platelets, Reticulocytes and WBCs were lower for the HU group. Except for Alkaline Phosphatase (ALP), liver function indices were higher for the study group. A significant association was detected between low ALP and using HU. Six patients on HU said: ?they felt better after using HU?, and felt that ?their need for blood transfusions decreased after using HU?. Patients noticed a decrease in admissions after using HU, and the average number of admissions was (3) per patient. Conclusion: Patients on HU experinced some improvement, some stabilty of thier hematologic parameters, and reduced hospitalization. More studies should be conducted to undesrtand the benefits and risks of HU use in SCA patients.

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[Mattar Al-Sulami and Salwa Al-Najjar. (2017); THE ROLE OF HU IN THE MANAGEMENT OF VASO-OCCLUSIVE CRISES IN SICKLE CELL ANEMIA. Int. J. of Adv. Res. 5 (Feb). 2345-2350] (ISSN 2320-5407). www.journalijar.com

Dr. Matter Al-Sulami
King Abdul-A ziz university Hospital/University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

DOI:

Article DOI: 10.21474/IJAR01/3416      
DOI URL: https://dx.doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/3416

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