Study of Relation of Sleep apnea in Chronic Hemolytic Anemia Patients to Left Ventricular Hypertrophy and Diastolic Dysfunction in Comparison to Normal Children

Abstract

Sleep-disordered breathing is described in children with SCD and nocturnal desaturation is related to pain episodes, as well as extramedullary hematopoiesis causes sleep apnea syndrome in thalassemic patients. Sleep-disordered breathing is associated with LV hypertrophy, endothelial dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction and a pro inflammatory state leading to increased cardiovascular risk. In the present study we aimed at studying the frequency of sleep apnea in chronic hemolytic anemia patients and its effect on left ventricular diastolic functions and dimensions in comparison to normal children. One-hundred children with chronic hemolytic anemia (β-thalassemia major, sickle cell disease patients and thalassemia intermedia) were eligible for the study who were following in Ain shams university hematology and oncology clinic and 100 age and sex matched healthy subjects were all subjected to PSQI. 26 patients (26%) habitually snored as proved by PSQI score (15 β- thalassemia major (42.3%) and 11 Sickle cell disease patients (57.6) had score ≥5). There were 15(60%) males and 10(40%) females their mean age was 14.6± 2.8 (range 8-18). Twenty five age and sex matched healthy individuals served as a control group. They were 17(68%) males and 8(32%) females with mean age 13.58±2.7 years (range 7-18).