Asthma in the pediatric sickle cell patient with acute chest syndrome.

INTRODUCTION

Acute chest syndrome (ACS) is a potential life-threatening complication of sickle cell disease (SCD). The purpose of this study was to identify the frequency of asthma in children with SCD who were diagnosed with ACS. The objective was to determine if an increased frequency of asthma exists in children with SCD and ACS.

METHOD

A retrospective descriptive chart review covering the period from June 1997 to June 2002 was conducted on 60 children ranging in age from 1.5 years to 17 years who had SCD and ACS. Cross-tabs analysis and student t tests were used to determine the significance of the occurrence of asthma in children in whom ACS developed.

RESULTS

Of the 60 eligible children with SCD, 53% (32/60) had asthma and/or abnormal pulmonary function tests prior to the development of ACS.

DISCUSSION

This is the first study to report a slight increase in the frequency of asthma prior to the initial ACS in children with SCD. The small convenience sample size from one center may have been a limitation in this study to detect significant differences between the variables.