Despite advancements in medical care, pregnant women with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at a higher risk of complications and require close monitoring, a nationwide French study has found. SCD is associated with a significantly higher likelihood of maternal and fetal complications, preterm birth, and caesarean sections (C-sections), data…

Preschool-aged children with sickle cell disease (SCD) living in so-called food deserts, or areas where access to healthy food is limited, and those without reliable transportation are at a higher risk of experiencing health issues than other youngsters with SCD, even when they receive good medical care, a study…

Sickle cell is an inherited disease that profoundly affects red blood cells, posing significant health challenges for those living with the condition. My cousin Ada has bravely confronted this hereditary disease, and together we’ve traversed its ups and downs. Among the many concerns we’ve learned to manage, one…

The risk of pregnancy-related death is about 26 times higher among people with sickle cell disease (SCD) in the U.S. compared with the national average, a recent study reported. The rate of pregnancy-related complications among SCD patients has not improved in recent decades, the results indicate. “People with sickle…

The risk of death from end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) has generally declined in the U.S. over the last 20 years — but not as much for people with sickle cell disease (SCD). Patients with the genetic disorder still have a higher risk of mortality than those without SCD,…

Children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are at a high risk of developing severe symptoms after infection with the SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, one of the most recent variants of the virus that causes COVID-19, according to a new French study. In fact, more than 85% of children infected with…

Treatment with hydroxyurea at the time of conception may be safe, but its use by women with sickle cell disease (SCD) during pregnancy was linked to twofold higher risks of both miscarriage and stillbirth, a U.S. study reported. Pregnant women taking hydroxyurea — used to reduce the frequency…

Exposure to systemic steroids — frequently used to treat asthma or ease inflammation — is significantly associated with a higher risk of painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) leading to hospitalization in children and adults with sickle cell disease (SCD), a French study shows. “Individuals living with SCD often suffer…

Researchers have ruled out a phenomenon called clonal hematopoiesis as the potential cause of the increased risk of blood cancer in people with sickle cell disease (SCD) by analyzing the genetic data of more than 3,000 SCD patients and 71,000 unaffected people. In clonal hematopoiesis, people acquire mutations that cause…

After many months of sheltering in place, or shielding, as we call it here in the U.K., the time finally came for me to leave my house for reasons unrelated to medical issues. The government had paused shielding requirements, but I had been committed to continuing my self-isolation indefinitely…