Awareness of Retinopathy among Sickle Cell Patients
Shahad Alruwaili
*
Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Yasser Aleliwi
Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Shahd Al Mahfud
Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Mohammad Alshehri
Medicine, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Hamad Al Ghathber
Security Forces Hospital, Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
Abdullah Alamri
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz University Hospital. Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a haemoglobinopathy that is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. Retinopathy is a complication of SCD, which varies from mild peripheral retinopathy to severe proliferative retinopathy that can cause loss of vision.
Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from June 2020 to January 2021 aiming to determine the knowledge of retinopathy among patients with sickle cell disease using a validated self-administered questionnaire.
Result: A total of 166 respondents completed the questionnaire. Females constituted the majority of participants (62.7%). The age group 31–40 years consitituted 28.3% and were associated with higher knowledge scores. The average knowledge score was also significantly higher in respondents from the Eastern region (B = 1.82, P < 0.05) compared to respondents from Riyadh. The main reason for not having an eye check was the perceived lack of importance of visits among 56.8%.
Conclusion: Sickle cell disease patients are prone to complications such as retinopathy which can be detected by frequent follow-up. Almost half of the studied sample showed above average knowledge of retinopathies related to sickle cell disease.
Keywords: Sickle cell disease, genetic condition, hematology retinopathy, haemoglobinopathy