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JUNE 19 is World Sickle Cell Day
According to study results published in JAMA Network Open, certain factors including unemployment, depression, being female, or being of older age are associated with increased pain frequency among sickle cell disease patients.
The study, which revealed that...
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A new study, featured in The American Journal of Managed Care, suggests many children with sickle cell anemia are not undergoing the nationally recommended transcranial Doppler (TCD) screening to access stroke risk, which should be conducted every two years for children with sickle cell starting at...
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Unsedated procedures involving patients who have acute or chronic illness can be painful and cause nervousness, anxiety, distress, and catastrophizing. Virtual reality (VR) has been shown to positively distract, and therefore lessen the stress involved. The Journal of Medical Internet Research repor...
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In a New England Journal of Medicine online editorial, a professor/hematologist commented on a study about sickle cell disease and gene therapy. The study, which also appeared in NEJM, successfully prevented complications from the disease by adding a gene to a patient’s blood stem cells. “Gene...
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This presentation will focus on the development of a clinical decision tool to standardize opioid prescribing for patients with sickle cell disease. Collin Montgomery, NP, and Leigh Ann Wilson, LCSW, both of whom work in the Adult Clinical Sickle Cell Program at the University of Arkansas for...
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In 2020, the Nobel Prize was awarded to two chemists who invented a gene editing technology. That technology, CRISPR-Cas9, was recently used successfully on two patients with beta thalassemia and sickle cell disease. The New England Journal of Medicine reports that “gene editing modified the DNA of...
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One man's story may offer hope to many. Evie Junior is a 27 year old with sickle cell disease complications. He had to have his gall bladder and spleen removed. Then he developed pericarditis. Sometimes he couldn't walk because of the pain. Sometimes he ended up at the emergency room and stayed in...
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At the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences in Little Rock, Leigh Ann Wilson is a licensed clinical social worker and Collin Montgomery is the program coordinator for the Adult Sickle Cell Program. Pain is the hallmark symptom of sickle cell disease, which is often managed by hematologists or...
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In a recent issue of the journal of Substance Use & Misuse, a study of sickle cell disease patients was discussed. It is well known that, in the sickle cell disease population, chronic pain rates are high. Perhaps less well known are the levels of mental health issues. Even less known? Levels of...
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Potential treatments
- Increased fluid intake: sickle cell disease patients are more at risk for dehydration because they can’t concentrate their urine
- Ibuprofen, NSAIDs
- SSRIs, SNRIs
- Gabapentinoids
- Antispasmodics
- Hot baths, heating pads, hot packs
- Massage
- Distraction
- Activity when...