Patient Characteristics
Data were collected on 781 pediatric patients with SCD age 2 to 19
years, 462 (58.7%) with genotype HbSS/HbSβ° and 319 (41.3%) with
genotype HbSC/ HbSβ+. Mean age was 10.8 years, 99%
African American, and 82% had public insurance. There was no difference
in the male to female ratio and no difference in age among the groups.
Table 1 presents participant characteristics.
Patients with HbSS+/HbSβ° had more acute chest syndrome, stroke,
avascular necrosis, and more of these patients were on treatment with
hydroxyurea or on chronic transfusion therapy. Patients with SCD
HbSC/HbSβ+ had a higher median BMI percentile (71%)
verses patients with SCD HbSS/HbSβ°, who had a BMI percentile of
48.5%. There was a statistically
significant differences in the hemoglobin levels and absolute
reticulocyte count among the genotype groups. Patients with SCD HbSC/
HbSβ+ had a median hemoglobin level of 10.9 g/dL and
absolute reticulocyte count of 146, versus patients with SCD HbSS/HbSβ°
who had a median hemoglobin level of 8.5 g/dL and absolute reticulocyte
count of 306.