Quality of Life of Sickle Cell Disease Patients with Recurrent Acute Painful Episodes

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary condition that is characterized by a severe painful episode. Vaso-occlusion, persistent hemolysis, and enhanced erythrocyte adhesiveness to vascular endothelium are the disease's pathologic hallmarks. Similar to other persistent medical problems, SCD is frequently made more difficult by psychological problems linked to the disease's chronic nature and additional symptoms of illness. The main objective of this study was to assess the Quality of life of sickle cell disease patients with recurrent acute painful episodes in Saudi Arabia. This cross-sectional observational study uses a questionnaire to collect data from patients diagnosed with sickle cell disease in Saudi Arabia. Our study enrolled 405 participants. The majority of the population falls in the 18-25 age group, with 36% of the population falling in this category. 34.6% of the population is male and 65.4% is female. The score of quality of life among the participants was as follows, the majority of individuals, 51.9%, reported having a moderate quality of life, while 26.7% reported having a good quality of life, and 21.5% reported having a poor quality of life. Gender, educational level, and monthly income were the only parameters that showed significance with quality-of-life score, with p-values of 0.049, 0.040, and 0.009. The quality of life of SCD patients experiencing recurrent acute painful episodes in Saudi Arabia is a complex issue influenced by various medical, social, and cultural factors. Our study showed that the majority of participants exhibited a moderate quality of life level.