Impact of Sickle Cell Disease on Academic Performance: A Cross Sectional Study

Mortadah Alsalman; Sajjad AlHaddad; Ibrahim Alibrahim; Abdulhakim Ibrahim Alabdullah; Mohammed Hussain Almutawa; Abdullah Khalid Alhamam; Mohammed Abdullah Albaqshi

doi:10.2147/PPA.S434750

Impact of Sickle Cell Disease on Academic Performance: A Cross Sectional Study

Patient Prefer Adherence. 2023 Oct 10:17:2517-2522. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S434750. eCollection 2023.

Authors

Mortadah Alsalman¹, Sajjad AlHaddad², Ibrahim Alibrahim³, Abdulhakim Ibrahim Alabdullah³, Mohammed Hussain Almutawa³, Abdullah Khalid Alhamam³, Mohammed Abdullah Albaqshi³

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medicine, College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia.
² Academy of Family Medicine, Ministry of Health, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia.
³ College of Medicine, King Faisal University, Alahsa, Saudi Arabia.

Abstract

Purpose: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a multisystemic disease that results in diverse clinical manifestations in the form of acute and chronic complications. This study aims to assess the academic achievements of patients with SCD.

Methods and materials: A cross-sectional study was a study conducted among adult patients with SCD from the eastern province of Saudi Arabia, where SCD is more widespread than in other regions.

Results: A total of ninety patients with SCD, whose median age was 32.33 ± 11.84, were retrospectively evaluated. Of the total number, 32 (35.5%) did not obtain a secondary higher education certificate, and five (3.3%) were illiterate. Sixty-three (70%) of the patients were female, indicating no significant association between gender and education level (p-value > 0.05). The patients' mean annual hospitalizations and emergency visits totaling 4.7 and 8.43, respectively, were not significantly associated with education (p-value > 0.05). Throughout the patients' lives, mean blood transfusions and ICU admissions occurred 6.29 and 2.75 times, respectively, which were not significantly associated with education level (p-value > 0.05). However, education was inversely proportional to a history of splenectomy and cholecystectomy (p < 0.05). Laboratory parameters (hemoglobin level, WBC, platelets, and hemoglobin F) showed no significant associations with education level (p-value > 0.05). Patients with sickle-thalassemia exhibited a trend of being better-educated than those without the diseases, but the difference did not reach statistical significance (p-value > 0.05). A linear regression analysis revealed no significant associations among clinical and laboratory parameters.

Conclusion: SCD is a multisystemic disease that impacts socioeconomic status, learning ability, and academic achievements. More research is needed to identify factors that predict poor performance. Additionally, intelligence quotient (IQ) and cognitive assessment should be incorporated into early screening programs for SCD in order to implement preventive measures and a thorough investigation of underlying causes.

Keywords: academic achievements; education; sickle cell disease.