European Journal of Molecular & Clinical Medicine

Abstract

Background:Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major health problem that affects over 20 million
people worldwide with over a billion dollars spent annually in the United States (US) itself to
cover healthcare costs. Approximately 300,000 children are born annually with SCD at least
75% of them are in Africa. SCD affects about 1 in 500 African Americans and nearly 1 in 12
African Americans carry the autosomal recessive gene. It is estimated that there are almost
100,000 SCD patients in the United States. Speckle-tracking echocardiography (STE) is a new
noninvasive ultrasound imaging technique that allows for an objective and quantitative
evaluation of the global and regional function of atrial and ventricular chambers. Although in
almost all patients with SCD, coronary angiography reveals normal coronary arteries, yet
myocardial ischemia and infarction have been reported to occur in SCD. Some SCD patients
have marked abnormalities in exercise capacity and cardiac filling abnormalities