Does Sickle Cell Disease Protect Against Diabetes Mellitus? : Cross-sectional study

Objectives: The co-existence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and sickle cell disease (SCD) is rare. This study aimed to explore whether SCD patients have the same DM prevalence as the general population in a country with a high prevalence of DM. Methods: This cross-sectional study included all SCD adult p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Ali A. Mohamed, Fathia Al-Qurashi, David L. Whitford
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Sultan Qaboos University 2015-02-01
Series:Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal
Subjects:
Online Access:https://journals.squ.edu.om/index.php/squmj/article/view/1999
Description
Summary:Objectives: The co-existence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and sickle cell disease (SCD) is rare. This study aimed to explore whether SCD patients have the same DM prevalence as the general population in a country with a high prevalence of DM. Methods: This cross-sectional study included all SCD adult patients admitted to Salmaniya Medical Complex, Bahrain, between 2003 and 2010 (n = 2,204). A random sample (n = 520) was taken to establish the prevalence of DM. Laboratory records were examined to determine the presence of DM. Results: There were 376 SCD patients with complete records; of these, 24 (6.4%) had DM. The age- and sex-standardised prevalence of DM was 8.3%. Conclusion: While the prevalence of DM in SCD patients in Bahrain was high, it was lower than expected in this population. SCD may have a protective effect towards DM development. However, the impact of these two conditions on vascular diseases suggest a need for screening and aggressive treatment in this population.
ISSN:2075-051X
2075-0528