Mortality rate in Sickle Cell Disease Patients in Crisis at a Haematology Day Care Unit (HDCU) in Nigeria

The Haematology Day Care Unit (HDCU) of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, Nigeria was established in 1975 with the main goal of providing immediate and specialized care to haematological emergencies, particularly sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. Since inception, a systematic analysis of its effectiveness has not been done, hence this study. A retrospective study of all registered patients attending the Haematology Day Care Unit of the University College Hospital, Ibadan, over a one-year period was conducted and analyzed. Demographic data, diagnosis, treatment received, outcome of such treatment as well as laboratory parameters were extracted from HDCU register and the data were then analysed using descriptive statistics. A total of 890 patients were seen during the period, January and December 2001, out of which 520 were sickle cell disease patients (HbSS accounted for 508 (92.7%) cases and HbSC, 40 (7.3%) cases). The mean age of the SCD patients was 25.8years, the median, 23years and the mode, 18years. The mean PCV was 21.2%, median, 21.0% and mode, 20%. Majority (246 or 47.3%) of the patients were between 20 and 30 years, the lowest frequency being in the >50years group (14 or 2.7%). One patient died during the period under review (31year old female with HbSC disease), giving a mortality rate of 2 per 1000 patients. . Keywords : Haematology Day Care Unit, mortality rate, haematological emergencies, HbSS disease, HbSC disease Nigerian Journal of Health and Biomedical Science Vol. 6 (1) 2007: pp. 63-66