Prevalence of serious bacterial infections in children with sickle cell
disease at King Abdulaziz Hospital, Al Ahsa
Abstract
Objective: The main aim was to report the prevalence and severity of
serious bacterial infections (SBI) in children with sickle cell disease
at King Abdulaziz Hospital, Al Ahsa, Saudi Arabia to aid in determining
whether outpatient management of such cases is appropriate. Methods: We
conducted a retrospective chart review of febrile children less than 14
years of age admitted with sickle cell disease 2005 through 2015.
Results: During 320 admissions, 25 children had SBIs (8%) including
pneumonia (n=11), osteomyelitis (n=8), bacteremia (n=3, all with
Salmonella species) and UTI (n=3). All recovered uneventfully.
Conclusion: It appears that in the current era, less than 10% of
febrile children with sickle cell disease in our center are diagnosed
with a SBI. Over an 11-year period, there were no sequelae or deaths
from SBI. Given these excellent outcomes, outpatient ceftriaxone should
be considered for febrile well appearing children with sickle cell
disease if they have no apparent source and parents are judged to be
reliable.