Sickle Cell Disease Complications and BMI Percentiles of Pediatric Patients

The study investigates the relationship between BMI percentiles and the severity of sickle cell disease (SCD) in pediatric patients. It found significant differences in body weight, height, and BMI among the genotypes HbAA, HbSC, and HbSS, with 5% of HbAA, 20% of HbSC, and 35.7% of HbSS in unhealthy BMI categories. The study also revealed a significant relationship between BMI percentiles and pain frequency in SCD patients, with HbSS patients experiencing more frequent pain than HbSC patients. Additionally, priapism was more common than leg ulcers among SCD complications in the region. The findings suggest that SCD affects BMI percentiles and that there is a bias in pain frequency distribution between the two hemoglobinopathies.