February 21, 2022
Sickle Cell Disease and Poor COVID-19 Outcomes
Sickle cell disease is associated with a fourfold increased risk for COVID-19-related hospitalization and a more than twofold increased risk for COVID-19-related death, according to a research letter published in the Annals of Internal Medicine. Ashley Kieran Clift, M.B.B.S., from the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom, and colleagues assessed the risk for COVID-19-related...
Treating Sickle Cell Disease With Genetic Silencing
Clinical manifestations of sickle cell disease, such as hemolytic anemia, pain, and progressive organ damage, can be alleviated by high levels of erythrocyte fetal hemoglobin (HbF). The BCL11A gene represses γ-globin expression and adult erythrocyte fetal hemoglobin production. This study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, focuses on the genetic silencing of BCL11A, resulting...
Risk Factors for Severe COVID-19 With Sickle Cell Disease
A history of severe pain episodes and coexisting organ conditions may increase the risk for severe COVID-19 illness and hospitalization in individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD), according to a study published in Blood Advances. Lana Mucalo, M.D., from the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, and colleagues established the SECURE-SCD Registry to collect...