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Association between baseline fetal hemoglobin levels and incidence of severe vaso‐occlusive pain episodes in children with sickle cell anemia
Author(s) -
Bhatnagar Pallav,
Keefer Jeffrey R.,
Casella James F.,
BarronCasella Emily A.,
Bean Christopher J.,
Hooper Craig W.,
Payne Amanda B.,
Arking Dan E.,
Debaun Michael R.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
pediatric blood and cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.116
H-Index - 105
eISSN - 1545-5017
pISSN - 1545-5009
DOI - 10.1002/pbc.24588
Subject(s) - medicine , fetal hemoglobin , incidence (geometry) , sickle cell anemia , anemia , hemoglobin , disease , acute chest syndrome , pediatrics , vaso occlusive crisis , fetus , pregnancy , genetics , physics , optics , biology
The ameliorating effect of high fetal hemoglobin (HbF) levels on the incidence of pain episodes in sickle cell anemia (SCA) is well‐known; however, in children this relationship is less clearly established. We hypothesized that higher HbF levels in children with SCA are associated with fewer severe pain episodes. A meta‐analysis of data from the Silent Infarct Transfusion Trial (n = 456) and the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (n = 764), demonstrated that baseline HbF levels were associated with the incidence of severe pain, commonly defined across studies as an event requiring hospitalization ( P ‐value = 0.02). Pediatr Blood Cancer 2013;60:E125–E127. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.