Abstract
BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is among the most prevalent hereditary hemoglobinopathies worldwide. OBJECTIVES: A cross-sectional study was conducted on the sociodemographic profile of sickle cell disease and quality of life in the pediatric age group among the tribal population of Madhya Pradesh. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional, hospital-based enrolling 100 homozygous SCD [SS pattern] pediatric participants aged 8-18 years, and 100 healthy controls. We assessed sociodemographic variables and clinical data. health-related quality of life (HRQoL) was measured using the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire in local language and Domain scores were compared between groups. RESULTS: Children with SS pattern demonstrated significantly lower HRQoL scores than controls in all domains (P < 0.001), with the greatest deficits in environmental and physical well-being. CONCLUSION: In this tribal cohort, homozygous SCD imposes substantial burdens on HRQoL, compounded by sociodemographic disadvantages.