Sickle cell infections among Saudi children

ABSTRACT

In this study, a total of 350 pediatric patients with sickle cell anemia was admitted to the Pediatric Ward of Military Hospital of Sharourah in the Southern Region of Saudi Arabia. Thirty-three patients had a major infection [septicemia, meningitis or osteomyelitis] with an incidence of 9.4%. During the same period of the study, a total of 3400 non-sickle children was admitted and 35 of them had a major infection with an incidence of 1%. Three patients died in the sickle cell group with a case fatality rate of 9.1%, while one patient in the control group died with a case fatality rate of 2.9%. Salmonella species were responsible for 11 cases of septicemia and 3 episodes of osteomyelitis and Streptococcus pneumoniae was the source in 7 cases of septicemia and one case of meningitis in sickle cell disease cases. Meningitis was caused by different organisms, such as Streptococcus pneumoniae, Salmonellae and Meningococci