Southern medical journal
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Southern medical journal · Sep 2016
Examination of the Patient and Hospitalization Characteristics of 30-Day SCD Readmissions.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with a high level of emergency department and hospital utilization, as well as a high rate of hospital readmissions. At Johns Hopkins Hospital, as at other institutions, SCD accounts for a large proportion of readmissions. Our study examined patient and hospitalization factors involved in readmissions at Johns Hopkins Hospital. ⋯ For patients with SCD with a high volume of hospital use, readmissions may be a natural consequence of a high-admission frequency associated with greater disease severity and higher comorbidity.
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Sickle cell disease (SCD), the most common inherited blood disorder, is characterized by defective oxygen transport. Every part of the eye can be affected by microvascular occlusions from SCD; however, the major cause of vision loss is proliferative sickle cell retinopathy (PSR). Although individuals with the HbSS genotype of SCD manifest more systemic morbidity and those with the HbSC genotype have a milder clinical course, those with HbSC have an increased risk of developing PSR and resultant vision loss. ⋯ Vision loss from PSR is largely preventable via regular retinal examinations and treatment as indicated. Novel retinal imaging techniques such as wide-field fluorescein angiography, spectral domain optical coherence tomography, and optical coherence tomography angiography can identify evidence of retinal microvascular occlusions in most patients with SCD. Further study is necessary to discover which individuals are at highest risk for vision loss, which of these retinal imaging modalities is clinically important, and which systemic treatments may decrease risk of vision loss from sickle cell retinopathy.
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Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a heterogeneous inherited disorder of hemoglobin that causes chronic hemolytic anemia, vaso-occlusion, and endothelial dysfunction. These physiologic derangements often lead to multiorgan damage in infancy and throughout childhood. The most common types of SCD are homozygous hemoglobin S (HbSS disease), hemoglobin SC disease, and sickle β thalassemia. ⋯ Many chronic complications develop insidiously and require multidisciplinary care for effective treatment. Primary care physicians, as well as physicians in many other disciplines, may care for these patients and should be familiar with the potential acute and chronic complications of this disease. This review addresses healthcare maintenance guidelines, common complications, and recommendations for management of pediatric patients with SCD.