Burden of neurological and neurocognitive impairment in pediatric sickle cell anemia in Uganda (BRAIN SAFE): a cross-sectional study.

Background: Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) are highly susceptible to stroke and other manifestations of pediatric cerebral vasculopathy. Detailed evaluations in sub-Saharan Africa are limited.

Methods: We aimed to establish the frequency and types of pediatric brain injury in a cross-sectional study at a large SCA clinic in Kampala, Uganda in a randomly selected sample of 265 patients with HbSS ages 1-12 years.