Echocardiographic findings in mild and severe forms of sickle cell anemia.

M-mode echocardiographic findings were compared between sickle cell anemic and healthy children. Patients were composed of two groups; Group 1: mild group with no crises, no blood transfusions at the ages of 5.0 to 13.0, total of 12 children; Group 2: severe group, with frequent crises with requirement of blood transfusions at the ages of 3.0 to 13.0 years, total of 18 children. Control group was composed of 12 healthy children aged 5.0 to 13.0. When M-mode echocardiographic findings were compared, important findings were as follows: Mean left atrium dimension was increased both in the mild and severe groups (P < 0.001) compared with controls. This finding also supports the increase in the left ventricle end-diastolic dimension in both the severe and mild groups as compared with controls (P < 0.001). The increase in end-diastolic left ventricle dimension could be due to anemia present in the patients, but there was no difference between the two patient groups. Posterior left ventricle thickness and left ventricle mass was increased in both the mild and severe groups compared with controls (P < 0.001, P < 0.05), respectively. Left ventricular fractional shortening was more or less the same with controls. In spite of left ventricular volume load and dilatation, left ventricular contraction was good and systolic function was normal, and there was no correlation between the ECHO findings and hematological indices.