Abstract
Objective:
This study aimed to describe and analyze clinical and
laboratory characteristics of
patients with
sickle cell anemia treated at the Hemominas
Foundation, in Divinópolis,
Brazil. Furthermore, this study aimed to compare the clinical and
laboratory outcomes of the group of
patients treated with
hydroxyurea with those
patients that were not treated with
hydroxyurea.
Methods:
Clinical and laboratorial data were obtained by analyzing
medical records of
patients with
sickle cell anemia.
Results:
Data from the
medical records of 50
patients were analyzed. Most of the
patients were
female (56%),
aged between 20 and 29 years old.
Infections, transfusions,
cholecystectomy,
splenectomy and systemic arterial
hypertension were the most common clinical adverse events of the
patients. The most frequent cause of
hospitalization was painful crisis. The majority of
patients had reduced values of
hemoglobin and
hematocrit (8.55 ± 1.33 g/dL and 25.7 ± 4.4%, respectively) and increased
fetal hemoglobin levels (12 ± 7%). None of the clinical variables was statistically significant on comparing the two groups of
patients. Among hematological variables only
hemoglobin and
hematocrit levels were statistically different between
patients treated with
hydroxyurea and untreated
patients (p-value = 0.005 and p-value = 0.001, respectively).
Conclusion:
Sickle cell anemia requires
treatment and follow-up by a multiprofessional team. A current
therapeutic option is
hydroxyurea. This
drug reduces
complications and improves laboratorial
parameters of
patients. In this study, the use of the
drug increased the
hemoglobin and
hematocrit levels of
patients.