Introduction: Sickle cell anaemia, the most widespread genetic disease in the
world, is an autosomal recessive hereditary disease characterised by the substitution
of glutamic acid for valine in position 06 of the globin beta chain, giving
rise to this aberrant haemoglobin S. The aim of this study is to determine the
characteristics of patients with sickle cell anaemia admitted to the paediatric
unit of Bogodogo University Hospital in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. Methods:
We conducted a cross-sectional study with retrospective data collection,
involving children aged 0 - 14 years admitted to the paediatric ward of Centre
hospitalier universitaire Bogodogo (CHU-B) with a significant sickle cell syndrome
from January 2017 to December 2021. Results: A total of 73 patients
were carriers of significant sickle cell syndromes out of 22,071 admitted to the
paediatric department of CHU-B, i.e. a hospital prevalence of 0.33%. The patients’
average age was 6.9 ± 3.5 years, with extremes ranging from 1 to 14 years.
The majority were male (sex ratio: 1.4). The most common reason for a consultation
was pain (65.1%), followed by fever (48.5%). Pallor was the most
prevalent physical indication (42.4%). Our patients stayed in the hospital for
an average of 6.63 ± 5.7 days, with ranges of 1 to 30 days. It was 7.38 for individuals
with SS and 5.74 for those with SC. The mean haemoglobin level was
7.5 g/dl ± 2.1 in SS patients and 10.07 ± 3.2 in SC patients. Conclusion: Sickle
cell anaemia is considered in Burkina Faso as a public health crisis. Despite the
low incidence in our investigation, significant sickle cell syndromes such as

Sickle Cell Anaemia, Characteristics, Pediatric, Burkina Faso