Library: Hematology: Sickle Cell Disease

Quick Facts about Sickle Cell Disease from the CDC

Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects about 100,000 people in the United States; more than 90% are non-Hispanic Black or African American, and an estimated 3%–9% are Hispanic or Latino.
The estimated life expectancy of those with SCD in the United States is more than 20 years shorter than the average expected.
Many people with SCD have difficulty accessing appropriate care and report feeling stigmatized and having their symptoms dismissed when they do seek care.
SCD-associated complications include anemia, acute and chronic pain, infections, pneumonia and acute chest syndrome, stroke, and kidney, liver, and heart disease.

Source: CDC - Data and Statistics on Sickle Cell Disease

Resources for Health Professionals

Quick overview: Sickle Cell Disease (book chapter) in Ferri's Clinical Advisor 2024

Case scenario: Sickle Cell Disease Patient (book chapter) in Diversity and Inclusion in Quality Patient Care Your Story/Our Story

Pediatric focus: Sickle Cell Disease (book chapter) in Nathan and Oski's Hematology and Oncology of Infancy and Childhood

Pain management: Management of Pain in Sickle Cell Disease (book chapter) in Practical Management of Pain

Emergency department: Sickle Cell Disease (book chapter) in Oncologic Emergency Medicine

Perioperative setting: Sickle Cell Disease (book chapter) in Perioperative Medicine Consult Handbook

View more book chapters on sickle cell disease in the library's collection

ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines on Sickle Cell Disease
American Society of Hematology guidelines on SCD and cardiopulmonary and kidney disease, cerebrovascular disease, management of acute and chronic pain, stem cell transplantation, and transfusion support. Plus guideline implementation tools and resources.
ACEP: Sickle Cell Point-of-Care Tool
Guidance on evaluation and management of patients with sickle cell disease in the emergency department.

Recently published articles on sickle cell disease are shown below. Click on an article title to see the abstract on PubMed. Click the "website" link at the bottom of the list to see more articles on this topic on PubMed.

Resources for Patients

Nemours Kids Health: Sickle Cell Disease
Information for kids, teens and parents. Also available in Spanish.
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institure: Sickle Cell Disease
Overview of sickle cell disease in English or Spanish, with downloadable fact sheets.
MedlinePlus: Sickle Cell Disease
Disease overview with links to reliable health information from professional associations and governmental agencies.
oneSCDvoice
Community support and education platform developed by the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America and in collaboration with the SCD community.