Trends in Clinical and Medical Sciences

Study of electrocardiographic and echocardiographic changes in sickle cell anaemia patients

Dr. Sandeep P Chaurasia\(^{1,*}\), Dr. Shekhar Ghodeswar\(^{2}\) and Dr. Rahul Manvar\(^{3}\)
\(^{1}\) Assistant Professor, Department of Cardiology, SVNGMC and SSH Yavatmal, Maharashtra, India.
\(^2\) Associate Professor, Department of Medicine, SVNGMC and SSH Yavatmal, Maharashtra, India.
\(^3\) Resident, Department of Medicine, SVNGMC and SSH Yavatmal, Maharashtra, India.
Correspondence should be addressed to Dr. Sandeep P Chaurasia at schaurisia@rediffmail.com

Abstract

Background: Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic abnormality involving the haemoglobin. Patients present with a wide spectrum of disorders because of a single-point mutation in which thymine substitutes for adenine, thereby encoding valine instead of glutamine in the sixth position of the beta-chain. The repeated sickling and unsickling damage the red cell membrane leading to irreversibly sickled red cell even when the oxygen pressure is increased.
Methodology: Patients admitted in the Medicine department of tertiary care center from December 2020 to December 2022 with sickle cell anaemia were included in the study. Sample size taken for this study was 100 patients. Predesigned and pretested questionnaire was used to record the necessary information.
Result: In this study, association of LVH and severe anemia in sickle cell patients was not statistically significant(P >0.05) Association between anaemia and pulmonary artery hypertension in sickle cell patients was found to be statistically significant.
Conclusion: Most common electrocardiographic finding was sinus tachycardia followed by T-inversions. Most common echocardiographic changes were pulmonary hypertension.

Keywords:

Electrocardiography; Echocardiography; Sickle cell; Anaemia; Hypertension.