Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42335179›Full record

ArticlePloS one2026

Predicting elevated transcranial doppler velocity among patients with sickle cell anemia in Uganda: A cross-sectional study.

Doreen Nayiga, David Mukunya, Simon Odoch, Faith Oguttu, Ian Munabi, Milton W Musaba, Charles Kimbugwe, Brian Tonny Makoko, Jonathan Babuya, Joshua Mugabi and 7 more

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Article in PloS one, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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1 · What the graph read from it

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2 · The registry

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3 · Its place in the literature

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Doreen NayigaDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
David MukunyaDepartment of Community and Public Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Simon OdochDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Faith OguttuDepartment of Community and Public Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.ORCID https://orcid.org/0009-0006-7481-3321
Ian MunabiDepartment of Anatomy, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Milton W MusabaDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Charles KimbugweMbale regional referral hospital, Mbale, Uganda.
Brian Tonny MakokoDepartment of Community and Public Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6254-4797
Jonathan BabuyaDepartment of Community and Public Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7586-3386
Joshua MugabiDepartment of Community and Public Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Alain NyalihamaDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Martin ChebetDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Lisa RynnDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.
Samuel KizitoSilver School of Social Work, New York University, New York, New York, United States of America.
Vincent SsentumbweDivision of Computational and Data Science, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri, United States of America.
Sarah KiguliDepartment of Pediatrics and Child Health, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.
Peter Olupot OlupotDepartment of Community and Public Health, Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5757-609X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundSickle cell anemia (SCA) is an autosomal recessive blood disorder resulting from a specific point mutation in the β-globin gene. Over half a million children are born with sickle cell anemia annually. Transcranial Doppler (TCD) velocity is an accurate predictor of the risk of stroke among children with sickle cell anemia. Unfortunately, TCD screening is not routinely done in developing countries due to limited resources. There is a need to develop a model that predicts elevated TCD velocity, utilizing routinely collected data to guide management of children with sickle cell anemia.

methodsWe conducted a cross-sectional study from 1st July 2024-30th August 2024 among children with SCA attending the Sickle Cell Clinic. We developed a risk-prediction model for elevated TCD (≥ 170 cm/s) using sociodemographic, hematological, and clinical factors. We used the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) penalized regression to select the best subset of predictors of increased TCD velocity. Model performance was assessed by determining the discrimination using the area under the curve and calibration by drawing a calibration plot.

resultsWe enrolled 385 children; the mean age was 10.3 (SD 3.8) years. The prevalence of elevated TCD, defined as ≥170 cm/s was 8.3% (95% CI: 5.8, 11.5; n = 32/385). Using a lambda of 0.008, the final model had 12 predictors. The predictors included neuropathy, red blood cell count, heart rate, age, adherence to hydroxyurea, headache, hematocrit, serum lactate dehydrogenase, gender, malnutrition, blood transfusion, and neutrophils. The model predicted elevated TCD with an AUC of 84.7% (95%CI: 74.7, 90.8).

conclusionWe developed and validated a model to predict elevated TCD among children living with SCA in Uganda. Further exploration is needed to assess whether this model predicts stroke.

Indexed as

Anemia, Sickle CellUltrasonography, Doppler, TranscranialAdolescentBlood Flow VelocityChildChild, PreschoolCross-Sectional StudiesFemaleHumansMaleStrokeUganda

Identifiers

PMID42335179
PMCPMC13289871

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.