Pulmonary Hypertension in People with Sickle Cell Disease in a Nigerian tertiary Hospital

Abstract

Objectives: The aim of this article is to estimate the prevalence of pulmonary hypertension (PHTN) among patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and to determine the associated factors. Materials and Methods: It was a hospital-based cross-sectional study involving 113 SCD participants in their steady state. Transthoracic echocardiography was done in accordance with the American Society of Echocardiography (ASE) guidelines to determine the peak tricuspid regurgitant velocity (TRVmax); complete blood count, oxygen saturation, serum creatinine, and urea were also done for all the participants. Results: The participants had a mean age of 18.1 ± 9.85 years, and 64 (56.6%) of them were males. Seven (6.2%) of the participants had PHTN as determined by a TRVmax of ≥2.5 m/s. PHTN was significantly associated with age, sex, body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and serum creatinine. Conclusion: PHTN remains common among patients with SCD and it is associated with female gender, increasing age, a rising BMI, blood pressure and serum creatinine, and a decreasing oxygen saturation and hematocrit. We recommend regular screening of patients with SCD for PHTN and that these associated factors should be taken into consideration when screening SCD patients for PHTN.