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

• Main Authors: Ali A. Mohamed, Fathia Al-Qurashi, David L. Whitford
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Sultan Qaboos University 2015-01-01
• Series: Sultan Qaboos University Medical Journal
• Subjects: Diabetes Mellitus; Sickle Cell Disease; Prevalence; Epidemiology; Comorbidity; Vascular Diseases; Bahrain
• Online Access: http://web.squ.edu.om/squmj/includes/tng/pub/tNG_download.asp?id=dbe00b9e8bdc880121c5ca717a20ea64

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.