Sickle cell anemia/sickle cell disease and pregnancy outcomes among ethnic tribes in India: an integrative mini-review

Abstract To test the hypothesis that microvascular obstruction to blood flow at the level of the arteriole may be significant in individuals with sickle cell anemia, the ophthalmologic effects of orally administered nifedipine were monitored in 11 steady-state patients. Three patients with evidence of acute peripheral retinal arteriolar occlusion displayed a prompt reperfusion of the involved segment. Two other patients showed fading of retroequatorial red retinal lesions. Color vision performance was improved in six of the nine patients tested. The majority of patients also demonstrated a significant decrease in the amount of blanching of the conjunctiva which reflects improved blood flow to this frequently involved area. Such improvements were not observable in a control group of untreated stable sickle cell subjects. These findings support the hypothesis that inappropriate vasoconstriction or frank vasospasm may be a significant factor in the pathogenesis of the microvascular lesions of sickle cell disease and, further, that selective microvascular entrapment inhibition may offer an additional strategy to the management of this disorder. We believe a larger, placebo-controlled study with nifedipine and similar agents is warranted.

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Pathogenesis of Hyposthenuria in Sickle Cell Anemia

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.26.6.1051 ◽

1960 ◽

Vol 26 (6) ◽

pp. 1051-1051

Author(s):

Clarence L. Morgan

Keyword(s):

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Genetic Defect ◽

Urine Osmolality ◽

Normal Kidney ◽

Cell Disease

Schlitt and Keitel report (Pediatrics, 26: 249, 1960) complete reversibility of hyposthenuria in a 6-month-old subject with sickle cell disease following transfusion over a 4-day period of 290 ml of blood with a rise in maximal urine osmolality from 700 to 1100 mosmol/l. They cite this as evidence against an independent genetic defect being causal in the etiology of hyposthenuria in sickle cell disease. It is well known that the concentrating capacity of the normal kidney increases as the ratio of urea to other solutes in the urine approaches 0.35, and the approximate range of improvement may be from 650 to 1100 mosmol/l.1

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PATHOGENESIS OF HYPOSTHENURIA IN PERSONS WITH SICKLE CELL ANEMIA OR THE SICKLE CELL TRAIT

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.26.2.249 ◽

1960 ◽

Vol 26 (2) ◽

pp. 249-254

Author(s):

L. Schlitt ◽

H. G. Keitel

Keyword(s):

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Renal Damage ◽

Sickle Cell Trait ◽

Urinary Concentration ◽

Cell Disease ◽

Renal Vessels

Hyposthenuria was investigated in subjects with sickle cell trait and in patients with sickle cell anemia. The following were observed: 1) in subjects with sickle cell trait both normal and reduced maxima of urinary concentration are found, whereas all untreated patients with sickle cell anemia over 6 months of age have hyposthenuria; 2) hyposthenuria becomes increasingly more severe with advancing age in both sickle cell anemia and sickle cell trait; 3) in a 6-month-old patient with sickle cell anemia and hyposthenuria, the maxima of urinary concentration returned to normal after two transfusions of normal erythrocytes. Reasons are presented for favoring the hypothesis that hyposthenuria in sickle cell disease is due to renal damage, possibly from intravascular sickling of erythrocytes in renal vessels or from the presence of "free" circulating S-hemoglobin.

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Ischemic Stroke in Children and Young Adults with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) in the Post-STOP Era

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v126.23.68.68 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 126 (23) ◽

pp. 68-68 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Janet L. Kwiatkowski ◽

Julie Kanter ◽

Heather J. Fullerton ◽

Jenifer Voeks ◽

Ellen Debenham ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Ischemic Stroke ◽

High Risk ◽

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Stroke Prevention ◽

Cell Disease ◽

Clinical Series ◽

The Mean

Abstract Background: The Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP) and Optimizing Primary Stroke Prevention in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP 2) established routine transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) screening with indefinite chronic red cell transfusions (CRCT) for children with abnormal TCD as standard of care. To identify children at high-risk of stroke, annual TCD screening is recommended from ages 2 to 16 years, with more frequent monitoring if the result is not normal. A reduction in stroke incidence in children with SCD has been reported in several clinical series and analyses utilizing large hospital databases when comparing rates before and after the publication of the STOP study in 1998. We sought to determine the rate of first ischemic stroke in a multicenter cohort of children who had previously participated in the STOP and/or STOP 2 trials and to determine whether these strokes were screening or treatment failures. Subjects and Methods: Between 1995 and 2005, STOP and STOP 2 (STOP/2) were conducted at 26 sites in the US and Canada. These studies included 3,835 children, ages 2 to 16 y with SCD type SS or S-beta-0-thalassemia. Participation in STOP/2 ranged from a single screening TCD to randomization. STOP 2 also had an observational arm for children on CRCT for abnormal TCD whose TCD had not reverted to normal. The Post-STOP study was designed to follow-up the outcomes of children who participated in one or both trials. 19 of the 26 original study sites participated in Post-STOP, contributing a total of 3,539 (92%) of the STOP/2 subjects. After exit from STOP/2, these children received TCD screening and treatment according to local practices. Data abstractors visited each clinical site and obtained retrospective data from STOP/2 study exit to 2012-2014 (depending on site) including follow-up TCD and brain imaging results, clinical information, and laboratory results. Two vascular neurologists, blinded to STOP/2 status and prior TCD and neuroimaging results, reviewed source records to confirm all ischemic strokes, defined as a symptomatic cerebral infarction; discordant opinions were resolved through discussion. For the first Post-STOP ischemic stroke, prior TCD result and treatment history subsequently were analyzed. Results: Of the 3,539 subjects, follow-up data were available for 2,850 (81%). Twelve children who had a stroke during STOP or STOP2 were excluded from these analyses resulting in data on 2,838 subjects. The mean age at the start of Post-STOP was 10.5 y and mean duration of follow-up after exiting STOP/2 was 9.1 y. A total of 69 first ischemic strokes occurred in the Post-STOP observation period (incidence 0.27 per 100 pt years). The mean age at time of stroke was 14.4±6.2 (median 13.8, range 3.5-28.9) y. Twenty-five of the 69 patients (36%) had documented abnormal TCD (STOP/2 or Post-STOP) prior to the stroke; 15 (60%) were receiving CRCT and 9 (36%) were not (treatment data not available for 1 subject). Among the 44 subjects without documented abnormal TCD, 29 (66%) had not had TCD re-screen in the Post-STOP period prior to the event; 7 of these 29 (24%) were 16 y or older at the start of Post-STOP, which is beyond the recommended screening age. Four of the 44 (9%) patients had inadequate TCD in Post-STOP (1 to 10.7 y prior to event). Six (14%) had normal TCD more than a year before the event (1.2 - 4 y); all but one of these children were younger than 16 y at the time of that TCD. Only 5 (11%) had a documented normal TCD less than 1 year prior to the event. Conclusions: In the Post-STOP era, the rate of first ischemic stroke was substantially lower than that reported in the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease, prior to implementation of TCD screening. Many (39%) of the Post-STOP ischemic strokes were associated with a failure to re-screen according to current guidelines, while only 11% occurred in children who had had recent low-risk TCD. Among those known to be at high risk prior to stroke, treatment refusal or inadequate treatment may have contributed. While TCD screening and treatment are effective at reducing ischemic stroke in clinical practice, significant gaps in screening and treatment, even at sites experienced in the STOP protocol, remain to be addressed. Closing these gaps should provide yet further reduction of ischemic stroke in SCD. Disclosures No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

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Asymmetric Dimethyl Arginine Level in Children with Sickle Cell Disease: A Cross Sectional Study

Journal of Advances in Medicine and Medical Research ◽

10.9734/jammr/2021/v33i1831059 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 93-98

Author(s):

Seham Fathy Khedr ◽

Mohamed Hosny El Bradaey ◽

Hala Mohamed Nagy ◽

Mohamed Ramadan El-Shanshory ◽

Eslam Elhawary

Keyword(s):

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Cross Sectional Study ◽

Sectional Study ◽

Cell Disease ◽

Adma Level ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Asymmetric Dimethyl Arginine ◽

Dimethyl Arginine

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) consists of a group of hemoglobinopathies in which individuals inherit hemoglobin variants derived from single point mutations. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) contributes to limiting Nitric Oxide (NO) bioavailability in SCD. The aim of the present study was to assess the level of the Asymmetric Dimethyl Arginine in children with sickle cell. Methods: This cohort cross-sectional study was carried out on 60 children which were divided in to 3 equal groups. Group I: SCD children with sickle retinopathy. Group II: SCD children without retinopathy. Group III: healthy control children who were selected from the outpatient clinic. Results: There was a significant increase in ADMA level among participants withSCD. There was a positive significant correlation between ADMA level and family history as well as the incidence of hepatomegaly. There was no significant correlation between ADMA level and demographic and laboratory parameters except LDH. Conclusions: The level of ADMA is elevated in children with sickle cell anemia. High plasma ADMA level is a risk for hepatomegaly in children with sickle cell anemia.

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ANTXR1 Intronic Variants Are Associated with Fetal Hemoglobin in the Arab-Indian Haplotype of Sickle Cell Disease

Acta Haematologica ◽

10.1159/000491688 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 140 (1) ◽

pp. 55-59 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Zhara A. Al-Ali ◽

Rana K. Fallatah ◽

Esra A. Aljaffer ◽

Eman R. Albukhari ◽

Neriman Sadek Al-Ali ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Real Time Pcr ◽

Genetic Variants ◽

Fetal Hemoglobin ◽

Genetic Mutations ◽

Cell Disease ◽

Hbf Level ◽

Intronic Variants

Disease severity of sickle cell anemia is highly variable, and it is commonly accepted that fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels play a major role as an ameliorating factor. Investigation of genetic variants have identified several genes to be the principal influencers of HbF regulation. Here, we further elucidated the association of rs4527238 and rs35685045 of ANTXR1 genes in the context of HbF level variance in sickle cell anemia patients of the Arab-Indian haplotype. Samples from 630 sickle cell anemia patients were analyzed for the mutations at 2 specific locations of the ANTXR1 gene by TaqMan®-based real-time PCR. The CC genotype (p = 0.018) of rs4527238 and the TT genotype (p = 0.048) of rs35685045 of ANTXR1 were found to be significantly associated with low HbF expression. The frequency of the CC genotype of rs4527238 was observed to be high in the low HbF patient group compared to the high HbF group (p = 0.009). Likewise, the frequency of the TT genotype of rs35685045 was also high among the low HbF group (p = 0.017). The ANTXR1 genetic mutations and the association with HbF expression in the Arab-Indian haplotype sickle cell patients revealed that the ANTXR1 gene may be a major HbF modulator leading to potential therapeutic options that should be further explored.

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Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease and Other Hemoglobinopathies

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.83.5.813 ◽

1989 ◽

Vol 83 (5) ◽

pp. 813-814

Author(s):

DORIS WETHERS ◽

HOWARD PEARSON ◽

MARILYN GASTON

Keyword(s):

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Early Diagnosis ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Case Fatality ◽

The United States ◽

Early Mortality ◽

Cell Disease ◽

Newborn Period ◽

The Past

Hemoglobinopathies represent one of the major health problems in the United States and constitute the most common genetic disorders in some populations. Sickle cell disease (SS, SC, S-β-thalassemia) alone affects about one in 400 American black newborns, as well as persons of African, Mediterranean, Asian, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, and South and Central American origins. For the past 20 years, the medical profession has known that children with sickle cell anemia have an increased susceptibility to severe bacterial infection, particularly due to Streptococcus pneumoniae. The risk of major infection and death posed by this organism is greatest in the first 3 years of life and can occur as early as 3 months of age. In fact, this infection may be the first clinical manifestation of disease. The infection can be fulminant, progressing from the onset of fever to death in a matter of hours, and the case fatality rate is reported as high as 30%. In addition, acute splenic sequestration, another acute catastrophic event, contributes to early mortality in children with sickle cell anemia and may occur as early as 5 months of age. It has been proposed that early diagnosis to identify infants with major sickle hemoglobinopathies, who have a high risk of early mortality and morbidity, is essential to institute appropriate ongoing care and effective measures of prophylaxis and intervention. Early diagnosis of hemoglobinopathies should be in the newborn period. Even though the technology to screen infants in the newborn period has been available for the past 15 to 20 years, screening has not received widespread acceptance.

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Low Fixed Dose Hydroxyurea for the Treatment of Adults with Sickle Cell Disease in Nigeria

Blood ◽

10.1182/blood.v130.suppl_1.981.981 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 130 (Suppl_1) ◽

pp. 981-981

Author(s):

Titilola S. Akingbola ◽

Bamidele Tayo ◽

Santosh L. Saraf ◽

Binal N. Shah ◽

Chinedu A Ezekekwu ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Low Dose ◽

Adverse Outcome ◽

Clinical Malaria ◽

Fixed Dose ◽

Cell Disease ◽

Hemoglobin F ◽

The Us

Abstract Background: The vast majority of births with sickle cell anemia occur in Africa 1 and early-life mortality, generally before age five years, is as high as 90% 2,3. Hydroxyurea was approved for sickle cell anemia by the US FDA in 1998 but is not commonly used in Africa due to fear of toxicity, lack of awareness and limited availability. Hemoglobin F is a protective factor that decreases severity of sickle cell anemia, and hydroxyurea treatment leads to an increase in hemoglobin F. In the US, hydroxyurea is typically initiated at a dose of 15 mg/kg followed by dose escalations of up to 35 mg/kg if tolerated with a goal of maximal tolerated dose and maximal response in hemoglobin F. Neutropenia and thrombocytopenia are the usual limitations to achieving maximal dose. In the landmark Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea, the clinical response to hydroxyurea correlated strongly with a reduction in the neutrophil count as well as an increase in the fetal hemoglobin concentration as reflected in percentage of F cells. A striking decrease in pain crises was observed in the first three months of therapy, before dose escalation and before maximal increase in hemoglobin F levels 4. Furthermore, hydroxyurea in the range of 10-15.9 mg/kg/day was reportedly effective in decreasing the frequency of pain episodes in children and adolescents in Oman 5, and hydroxyurea 10 mg/kg/day decreased pain episodes in children and adults with sickle cell anemia in India 6. From these perspectives, we reasoned that a fixed dose of hydroxyurea 10 mg/kg/day is reasonable to investigate in the African setting where the safety in relationship to the resources and infectious exposures is not known. Methods: We assigned 48 sickle cell anemia patients to hydroxyurea 500 mg/day for 24 weeks to determine safety and efficacy; 28 had high-risk disease based on hemoglobin F<8.6% and absence of alpha-thalassemia. We defined a clinically meaningful adverse outcome category as ≥10% of patients developing platelets <50,000/uL, granulocytes <500/uL, clinical malaria and/or active tuberculosis. Picking up refills every four weeks was the adherence metric. We analyzed the results on an intent-to-treat basis. Results: The median (interquartile range) age was 25 (22-27) years and the median hydroxyurea dose 9.8 (9.1-10.4) mg/kg per day. The patients complied with treatment for a median of 20 (16-24) weeks. Four (8.3%) developed a pre-specified adverse outcome: clinical malaria (N=2), thrombocytopenia in combination with malaria (N=1), pulmonary tuberculosis (N=1). During therapy the median hemoglobin increased by 9.0 g/L, mean corpuscular volume by 11.2 fL and body weight by 3.0 kg while median white blood cells declined by 2600 per uL and platelets by 127,000 per uL (P<0.001). The median hemoglobin F increased from 4.1% (2.3-6.3%) at baseline (N=27) to 8.5% (6.3-12.9%) during therapy (N=24) (P<0.001). Conclusion: Our results suggest that low, fixed-dose dose hydroxyurea for sickle cell anemia in Nigeria is associated with a low adverse outcome rate and with improvements in blood counts, hemoglobin F and body weight. The effects on vaso-occlusive episodes and on the risks of recrudescent tuberculosis and malaria-associated thrombocytopenia should be assessed in further studies. Acknowledgment: Supported by a grant from the Doris Duke Foundation. References 1. Williams TN, Obaro SK. Sickle cell disease and malaria morbidity: a tale with two tails. Trends Parasitol 2011;27:315-20. 2. Grosse SD, Odame I, Atrash HK, Amendah DD, Piel FB, Williams TN. Sickle cell disease in Africa: a neglected cause of early childhood mortality. Am J Prev Med 2011;41:S398-405. 3. Makani J, Cox SE, Soka D, et al. Mortality in sickle cell anemia in Africa: a prospective cohort study in Tanzania. PLoS One 2011;6:e14699. 4. Charache S, Barton FB, Moore RD, et al. Hydroxyurea and sickle cell anemia. Clinical utility of a myelosuppressive "switching" agent. The Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia. Medicine (Baltimore) 1996;75:300-26. 5. Sharef SW, Al-Hajri M, Beshlawi I, et al. Optimizing Hydroxyurea use in children with sickle cell disease: low dose regimen is effective. Eur J Haematol 2013. 6. Patel DK, Mashon RS, Patel S, Das BS, Purohit P, Bishwal SC. Low dose hydroxyurea is effective in reducing the incidence of painful crisis and frequency of blood transfusion in sickle cell anemia patients from eastern India. Hemoglobin 2012;36:409-20. Disclosures Ezekekwu: American Society of Hematology: Other: The Visitor training program was sponsored by ASH. Hsu: AstraZeneca steering committee for HESTIA trial: Research Funding. Gordeuk: Emmaus Life Sciences: Consultancy.

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Hypnotically Induced Pain Control in Sickle Cell Anemia

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.64.4.533 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 64 (4) ◽

pp. 533-536

Author(s):

Lonnie Zeltzer ◽

Jerry Dash ◽

J. Paul Holland

Keyword(s):

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Children And Adolescents ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Pain Control ◽

Gain Control ◽

Disease Status ◽

Similar Technique ◽

Cell Disease

Recurrent painful vaso-occlusive crises often represent sources of frustration and debilitation to those afflicted with sickle cell disease. We present two adolescents with sickle cell disease who have been able to gain control over the frequency and intensity of these crises by utilizing self-hypnosis. We feel that the utilization of similar technique(s) may allow many ill children and adolescents to obtain mastery over abnormal physiologic processes concomitant with their particular disease status.

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Newborn Screening for Sickle Cell Disease: Effect on Mortality

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.81.6.749 ◽

1988 ◽

Vol 81 (6) ◽

pp. 749-755

Author(s):

Elliott Vichinsky ◽

Deborah Hurst ◽

Ann Earles ◽

Klara Kleman ◽

Bertram Lubin

Keyword(s):

Sickle Cell Disease ◽

Mortality Rate ◽

Newborn Screening ◽

Sickle Cell ◽

Sickle Cell Anemia ◽

Comprehensive Treatment ◽

Cell Disease ◽

Hemoglobin S ◽

Screening Programs ◽

Overall Mortality

Newborn screening for sickle cell disease has been recommended as a method of decreasing patient mortality. However, its effectiveness in accomplishing this has not been reliably measured. To help determine the effectiveness, 10 years of experience in newborn screening have been summarized. The effects of early patient enrollment in a comprehensive treatment program on long-term morbidity and mortality are reported. From 1975 to 1985, 84,663 newborns were screened regardless of race or ethnic background. Bart's hemoglobin was present in 5%, hemoglobin AS in 2.6%, and hemoglobin AC in 0.75%. Excluding Bart's, approximately 3.6% of all newborns were carriers for hemoglobinopathy. Sickle cell disease occurred in 1:951 births (58 hemoglobin SS, 25 hemoglobin FSC, three hemoglobin S-β+-thalassemia, and three hemoglobin S-β°-thalassemia). In addition, one in every 4,233 newborns had a clinically significant thalassemia syndrome (eight hemoglobin FE, ten hemoglobin F only, two hemoglobin H). Compared with other newborn screening programs in California, (congenital hypothyroidism, 1:3,849; phenylketonuria 1:22,474, galactosemia 1:74,103), hemoglobinopathies are the most prevalent congenital disease. Eighty-one newborns with sickle cell disease were followed for 7.2 years. Patients experienced 513 hospitalizations, including 13 episodes of sepsis with or without meningitis and ten acute sequestration crises. The overall mortality rate for patients with sickle cell anemia diagnosed in the newborn period was 1.8%. In comparison, the clinical course of 64 patients with sickle cell anemia diagnosed after 3 months of age and followed for an average of 9.4 years was analyzed. Five of these patients died. In two of these, sickle cell anemia was diagnosed at the time of the death. Overall mortality rate in this group was 8%. In summary, the data indicate that newborn screening, when coupled with extensive follow-up and education, will significantly decrease patient mortality.

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