Prophylactic penicillin in young chidlren with homozygous sickle-cell diseases: lack of effect on manifestations other than pneumococcal septicaemia - abstract

ABSTRACT

This study investigates the effects of prophylactic penicillin in young children with homozygous sickle-cell (SS) disease, on clinical manifestations other than the known effect of preventing pneumococcal septicaemia. Thirty-nine patients received monthly injections of intramuscular penicillin for the 30-month period between age 6 and 36 months (treatment group) and 36 SS patients were followed without penicillin prophylaxis (control group). The features investigated included common manifestations before the age of 3 years such as haematological abnormalities, dactylitis, acute chest syndrome, acute splenic sequestration, and growth delay. No significant differences were found between the two groups in haematology, the incidence of dactylitis, acute chest syndrome, or acute sequestration during the study period, or in attained weight and height at age 3 years or at 8 years. Prophylactic penicillin given as monthly IM injections has no beneficial effect for children under 3 years with homozygous sickle-cell disease, other than the known effect of preventing pneumococcal sepsis (AU)