Can doppler ultrasound be used to predict the degree of anemia in patients with homozygous sickle cell genotype?

Introduction: Sickle cell anemia is characterized by chronic red cell hemolysis which leads to chronic anemia. Patients with sickle cell may be asymptomatic (steady-state) even with anemia. One easy and minimally invasive method of assessing anemia is by using the packed cell volume. Objective: The study aimed at determining the steady-state packed cell volume among sickle cell patients and to ascertain if Doppler ultrasound can be used to predict the degree of anemia in sickle cell disease. Methods: Fifty males and 50 females aged 0-30years with homozygous sickle cell genotype were recruited in this cross-sectional study. Their packed cell volume and Doppler ultrasound parameters (peak systolic velocity, end-diastolic velocity, pulsatility index, resistivity index and systolic-diastolic ratio) were measured and correlated using SPSS version 22. Results: The steady-state mean packed cell volume were 23.54% and 24.92% for the females and males respectively. There was no correlation between packed cell volume and Doppler parameters. Conclusion: The steady-state packed cell volume was lower in patients with sickle cell anemia than the expected values for the general population. Doppler ultrasound could not be used to predict the degree of anemia in sickle cell patients.