ABSTRACT
The purpose of this study was to determine the impact of mean platelet volume [MPV] on the frequency and severity of vaso-occlusive and cerebrovascular events in patients with sickle cell anemia [SCA]. The 238 cases diagnosed with SCA were evaluated retrospectively with respect to the occurrence of painful crisis for the previous year. The incidence, severity and type of the vaso-occlusive crises of the patients with SCA between March 2010 and March 2011 were recorded. The last MPV values in patients who were free of erythrocyte transfusion for the last three months and who had no current vaso-occlusive crises were evaluated. All the patients were grouped according to the frequency of the crises for the previous year preceding the data collection. Group 1: 1 to 3 crises, Group 2: 4 to 5 and Group 3: 6 or more crises annually. In accordance with the results obtained during the evaluation of the cases diagnosed with sickle-cell anemia, MPV value was found to be significantly higher in patients with cerebrovascular events. Also MPV values increased with increasing incidence of the crises [r=0.297] [p=0.001]. One of the contributing factors for this clinical heterogeneity may be related to the MPV values in patients with sickle cell anemia. The higher MPV values may be an early predictor of future cerebrovascular events in patients with sickle cell anemia and may require close follow-up and additional measures
ABSTRACT
To evaluate the value of neurologic and cardiologic assessment and also the frequency of iron deficiency anemia in children with Breath Holding Spells [BHS]. The hospital charts of patients diagnosed with BHS between 2011 and 2013 were reviewed retrospectively. A total of 165 children [90 boys, 75 girls] with BHS comprised the study group. A matched group of 200 children with febrile convulsions served as controls. Among the first-degree relatives, 13.3% had BHS, 1.8% had febrile convulsions and 12.1% had epilepsy. The spells were cyanotic in 140 [84.8%] children and pallid or mixed in the remainder. BNS type was simple in 46.7% of patients and complicated in the remainder. Eighteen patients had abnormalities in electroencephalography, however only one patient was diagnosed with epilepsy. Sixty nine [47.9%] patients were found to have iron deficiency anemia. Referral of children with clinically definite BHS to pediatric neurology or pediatric cardiology clinics and performance of echocardiography and EEG investigations for exclusion of heart disease or epilepsy appear unnecessary. However, performance of an electrocardiogram to search for prolonged QT syndrome should be considered although no patient in our series had any cardiologic abnormalities