The World Health Organization counts that more than 5% of the world's population carry some type of hemoglobinopathy. Among them we find the sickle cell aneamia that presents its main harmful effect on the peripheral vasculature. In the retina, the falciform lesions have a well defined physiopathology and classification. To identify the retinal manifestations caused by the falciform aneamia in patients directed to the Bettina Ferro de Souza Hospital from the Hemocenter of the State of Pará - HEMOPA, in the months of September through December of 2006. METHODS: Ophthalmologic examination was performed in the Department of Ophthalmology of the Bettina Ferro de Souza Hospital. and fifty patients with sickle cell aneamia (SS or SC) followed by the department of falciform aneamia of the Hematologia e Hemoterapia do Pará - HEMOPA have been randomly selected and submitted to interview in order to register their: sex; age; color; genotype; ocular alterations; medicines taken. Ophthalmologic examination was performed in the Department of Ophthalmology of the Bettina Ferro de Souza Hospital. It consisted of: evaluation of the acuity of vision with and without correction, indirect biomicroscopy, indirect binocular ophthalmoscopy, and, in case the latter presented alterations, a complementary study with angiofluoresceinography would be carried through. RESULTS: The outcomes have been registered in research protocol and later submitted to the statistic analysis using the Qui-square test, adopting, as level of significance, p<0,05. Eighty-eight percent of the patients did not present any falciform retinal sign, 3% presented peripheral vascular occlusion; in 2%, pigmented plate was shown, and 7% presented injuries which were not compatible with the falciform disease; there was a proportionality of 50% for males and females; there was a higher predominance (38%) of people aged from 11 and 15; 74% had SS genotype and 26% SC genotype; in relation to the use of medicines there was a higher prevalence of ocular alterations in patients who had made use of the folic acid isolated, with 5%, in contrast with those who had used the hidroxyurea association and folic acid, when all (27%) presented normal fundoscopic examination; all the patients (29%) that showed fetal hemoglobin rate above 10% had retina without alterations. CONCLUSION: Few cases of retinal signs have been observed in the studied group, however this research does not diminish the importance of early and periodic ophthalmologic examination, since falciform retinopathy is largely registered and its complications can lead to amaurosis.
Sickle cell disease; Retinopathies; Hemoglobinopathies
