Conjunctival vessel abnormalities in sickle cell diseases: the influence of age and genotype.

Conjunctival vessels were examined with a slit-lamp and the abnormalities were graded in 77 patients with sickle cell diseases, including 48 with sickle cell anaemia, 17 with sickle cell beta (0)-thalassaemia and 12 with HbS/HbC disease. The study demonstrated the occurrence of similar conjunctival vessel abnormalities for the three sickle cell diseases which are, however, more severe in HbS homozygotes than in the two other genotypes. An increase of the severity of the vascular abnormalities with the increase of patient age was also observed for HbS homozygotes. The data suggest that the conjunctival lesions accumulate and increase in severity in a similar fashion as other tissue damages observed in sickle cell diseases.