[Quality of Life of Adolescents with Homozygous Sickle-Cell Disease Managed at the Brazzaville Teaching Hospital (Congo)].

Adolescence is a particular age group in terms of psychological and somatic changes. Thus, the experience of a chronic disease such as sickle-cell disease is different compared to the younger child who depends entirely on his parents. The purpose of this study is to assess the quality of life and to identify the determinants of good quality of life of such teenagers. A cross-sectional study of adolescents living with sickle-cell disease has been carried out at the Teaching Hospital of Brazzaville, from March to September 2016. It was based on a questionnaire composed of elements which assess the quality of life according to Short-Form 12 score. The mean overall score for quality of life was 52.3, with 47.7 for the physical component and 56.9 for the mental component. The quality of life was better among adolescents with normal schooling ( ˂ 0.02), normal puberty ( ˂ 0.002), and in non-orphans ( ˂ 0.002), and in those who had not yet received blood transfusion ( ˂ 0.0001) since birth or hospitalized during the last two years prior to the survey ( ˂ 0.0001). The quality of life of adolescents with sickle-cell disease in Brazzaville is still facing many difficulties. The improvement of purchasing power, communication for behavioral change, and the introduction of free global care for people living with sickle-cell disease would minimize these difficulties. This would improve the future of these adolescents, coming adults of tomorrow.