Vitamin D deficiency in sickle cell disease patients in the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia.

Background: Vitamin D deficiency (VDD) is a major global health problem. In sickle cell disease (SCD), VDD is highly prevalent, reaching up to 96% of populations. VDD may contribute to many of the complications of SCD.

Sonographic assessment of spleen size in Saudi patients with sickle cell disease.

Background: In patients with SCD, the spleen commonly enlarges during the first two decades of life but then undergoes autosplenectomy due to repeated attacks of vaso-occlusion and infarction. This, however, is not the case in Saudi patients with SCD, where splenomegaly sometimes persists into adult life.

Patients And Methods: Ultrasonography was used to evaluate spleen size in 363 Saudi patients with SCD (340 SCD and 23 sickle I(2)-thalassemia).