Growth measurements in Ugandan children with sickle cell anaemia from a hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide) treatment trial relative to unaffected sibling controls.

ABSTRACT: Children with sickle cell anaemia (SCA) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) frequently experience impaired growth. Hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide) improves growth in higher resourced countries, but its effects on growth and body composition have not been evaluated in SSA. In an open-label, single-arm, 30-month dose-escalated hydroxyurea trial in Ugandan children aged 3 to <10 years (N = 264, mean age 5.6 ± 1.7 years), participant anthropometrics were compared to non-SCA sibling controls using global age- and sex-normalized z-scores. Body composition was determined using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA), comparing their z-scores to those generated from the controls (N = 110). Prospectively, SCA growth parameters on hydroxyurea paralleled and correlated with haemoglobin levels but remained lowe

SUBMITTER: Kalibbala D 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12832037 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature