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A Deeper Look at Organ Damage in SCD
Learn more about how organ damage occurs in SCD and how vaso-occlusion and VOCs contribute. This unique whiteboard video explains the underlying complications that may not always be seen in SCD.
A Deeper Look at Organ Damage in SCD
Learn more about how organ damage occurs in SCD and how vaso-occlusion and VOCs contribute. This unique whiteboard video explains the underlying complications that may not always be seen in SCD.
In SCD, Vaso-Occlusion and VOCs Can Lead to Many Complications1
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM (CNS)2-4
Acute Pain is the number one cause of hospital admissions2,3
Cerebrovascular Accident4
- Transient ischemic attack occurs in ~4%
- Overt stroke occurs in ~16%
- Retinopathy occurs in ~23%
MUSCULOSKELETAL SYSTEM5-9
Bone pain crisis : ~30% – Can lead to bone or bone marrow infarction and osteonecrosis
Avascular necrosis (AVN): 21%
- Untreated AVN can cause permanent gait abnormalities and Iimb-length discrepancies
Nearly four times more surface tooth decay
CARDIOPULMONARY SYSTEM10-12
Acute chest syndrome (ACS):
VOCs precede ACS in 80% of cases
Pulmonary hypertension: ~20%
Left-sided heart disease: ~13%
LYMPHATIC SYSTEM13-16
Splenic sequestration: up to 20%
- May worsen anemia
Hepatic sequestration:
- Can lead to acute hepatomegaly and severe anemia
- ~10% of patients present with hepatic crisis during VOCs
GASTROINTESTINAL17
- Cholelithiasis, acute cholecystitis, biliary sludge, and acute choledocholithiasis are common
- Gallstones occur in ~75%
UROGENITAL12,18-20
- Renal dysfunction begins at an early age, and ~30% experience chronic renal failure
- Priapism occurs in ~35% of men
A Higher Number of Reported VOCs/Pain Crises May Be Associated With Early Death4
A Higher Number of Reported VOCs/Pain Crises May Be Associated With Early Death4
Survival of Patients With SCD by Number of VOCs per Year*
This analysis included 542 adult subjects diagnosed with SCD who were routinely monitored in clinics at the Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC; UNC Health Care System, Chapel Hill; and Grady Health System, Atlanta, GA.
- VOCs were defined as crises requiring inpatient admission
- Median survival was 61 years for patients with 0-4 VOCs per year and 53 years for patients with >4 VOCs per year. Hazard ratio was 3.6982 (P<.0001)
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