Secondary benefit of maintaining normal transcranial Doppler velocities when using hydroxyurea for prevention of severe sickle cell anemia |
| |
| Authors: | Djamila Labib Ghafuri Shruti Chaturvedi Mark Rodeghier Sarah‐Jo Stimpson Brandi McClain Jeannie Byrd Michael R. DeBaun |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Academic Medical Center at the University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands;2. Division of Hematology and Oncology, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee;3. Rodeghier Consultants, Chicago, Illinois;4. Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt‐Meharry Sickle Cell Center for Excellence, Vanderbilt University of Medicine, Nashville, Tennessee |
| |
| Abstract: | In a retrospective cohort study, we tested the hypothesis that when prescribing hydroxyurea (HU) to children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) to prevent vaso‐occlusive events, there will be a secondary benefit of maintaining low transcranial Doppler (TCD) velocity, measured by imaging technique (TCDi). HU was prescribed for 90.9% (110 of 120) of children with SCA ≥5 years of age and followed for a median of 4.4 years, with 70% (n = 77) receiving at least one TCDi evaluation after starting HU. No child prescribed HU had a conditional or abnormal TCDi measurement. HU initiation for disease severity prevention decreases the prevalence of abnormal TCDi velocities. |
| |
| Keywords: | hydroxyurea therapy red cells sickle cell disease transcranial Doppler velocity |
|
|
