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To the Editor: Sickle cell disease is an important health problem in southern Rajasthan, being a tribal region, leading to various complications [1, 2]. Authors report prevalence and characteristics of sickle cell disease (SCD) among the symptomatic patients visiting a tertiary care hospital at Udaipur, Rajasthan. A prospective study was conducted on patients with clinical suspicion of sickle cell disease. Of the 161 patients screened 28 (17.4%) were diagnosed with SCD, half of them (14) were sickle cell trait (HbAS), 8 (28.6%) homozygous (HbSS), 5 (17.9%) sickle β thalassemia and 1 (3.6%) was found to have HbDS. The common presenting complaints amongst the SCD patients in this study were easy fatigability (78.5%), fever (46.4%), jaundice (39.2%), pain/ swelling of limbs (28.6%), abdominal pain (25%), abdominal distension (25%), headache (14.3%), back pain (7.1%), respiratory symptoms (7.1%), limping (7.1%), recurrent infections (3.6%), hematemesis (3.6%) and orbital cellulitis (3.6%). On examination, common findings were pallor (78.5%), splenomegaly (75%), hepatomegaly (50%) and icterus (39.3%). Abdominal pain (P = 0.039), headache (P = 0.004) and splenomegaly (P = 0.002) were significantly more in SCD patients as compared to the total screened patients. Twenty-two patients presented with vaso-occlusive crisis which were pain in limbs (28.6%), pain abdomen (25%), headache (14.3%), back pain (7.1%), acute chest syndrome (7.1%) and avascular necrosis (7.1%). We conclude that there is a need for more extensive studies in general population in this region to establish the burden of this disease so that the mission to eliminate sickle cell disease by 2047 can be achieved [3].
References
Mohanty SS, Purohit A, Anand PK, Huda RK, Sharma AK. Burden of sickle cell disease in tribal students in Maa-Baadi institutions in southern Rajasthan-A pilot study. Indian J Med Res. 2022;156:269–74.
Mandot S, Ameta G. Prevalence, clinical, and hematological profile of sickle cell disease in South Rajasthan. Indian J Child Health. 2016;3:248–50.
India Budget. Key Features of Budget 2023–2024. Available at: https://www.indiabudget.gov.in/. Accessed on 1 Feb 2023
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By Institutional Ethics Committee of RNT Medical College, Udaipur, Rajasthan on 2nd Feb. 2022 (Approval no.: RNT/Stat./IEC/2022/78).
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Jyani, R., Poswal, L., Sharma, P. et al. Burden of Sickle Cell Disease in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Southern Rajasthan. Indian J Pediatr 90, 950 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-023-04674-x
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-023-04674-x