Related Experiment Video

Updated: Feb 10, 2026

Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload
05:23

Continuous Manual Exchange Transfusion for Patients with Sickle Cell Disease: An Efficient Method to Avoid Iron Overload

Published on: March 14, 2017

20.4K

Hydroxycarbamide adherence and cumulative dose associated with hospital readmission in sickle cell disease: a 6-year

Jifang Zhou1, Jin Han1,2,3, Edith A Nutescu1

  • 1Center for Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomic Research, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.

British Journal of Haematology
|May 17, 2018
PubMed

Insights

Hydroxycarbamide (HC) use, especially optimal dosing and adherence, significantly lowers 30-day hospital readmissions for sickle cell disease (SCD) patients. This finding supports HC as a key treatment for reducing acute care utilization in SCD.

Area of Science:

  • Hematology
  • Pharmacology
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder leading to frequent hospitalizations.
  • Evidence on hydroxycarbamide (HC, also known as hydroxyurea) reducing readmissions in SCD is limited.
  • Acute care utilization represents a significant burden for SCD patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine hydroxycarbamide (HC) utilization patterns in a large US population with SCD.
  • To assess the association between HC use and acute care utilization, specifically 30-day readmission rates.
  • To determine the impact of HC dosing and adherence on reducing hospital readmissions in SCD.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a large, nationally-representative US health insurance claims database (2009-2014).
  • Identification of 20,721 SCD-related inpatient and acute care encounters.
  • Statistical analysis of HC exposure, dosage, adherence (proportion of days covered ≥0.80), and 30-day all-cause readmission rates.

Main Results:

  • 21% of SCD-related admissions involved prior HC exposure.
  • HC use was more prevalent in adolescents and young adults (10-29 years).
  • Optimal HC dosing (≥0.5g/day) and high adherence (≥0.80) were associated with significantly lower 30-day all-cause readmission rates (ORs 0.72-0.59).

Conclusions:

  • Optimal therapeutic dosing and high adherence to hydroxycarbamide (HC) are crucial for reducing 30-day hospital readmissions in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD).
  • These findings highlight the importance of effective HC management in mitigating acute care needs for SCD patients.

Keywords:
acute careadherenceepidemiologyhydroxycarbamidereadmissionsickle cell disease

More Related Videos

Characterization of Sickling During Controlled Automated Deoxygenation with Oxygen Gradient Ektacytometry08:23

Characterization of Sickling During Controlled Automated Deoxygenation with Oxygen Gradient Ektacytometry

Published on: November 5, 2019

10.4K
Automated, High-Throughput Detection of Bacterial Adherence to Host Cells07:21

Automated, High-Throughput Detection of Bacterial Adherence to Host Cells

Published on: September 17, 2021

4.1K

Related Concept Videos

Hospitals-II00:59

Hospitals-II

Hospitals provide inpatient and outpatient services. Inpatient services provide care to patients that stay in the hospital for an extended period, ranging from days to months. Examples of inpatient services include intensive care units, hospital wards, or surgeries. Outpatient services provide care to patients who come to a hospital for a diagnostic or treatment but do not stay overnight —for example, diagnostic tests, surgical procedures, or health education.
Nurses that work in...
1.2K
Drug Dosing in Renal Diseases: Dose Adjustments Based on Drug Clearance and Elimination Rate Constant01:25

Drug Dosing in Renal Diseases: Dose Adjustments Based on Drug Clearance and Elimination Rate Constant

In patients with renal disease, dosage adjustments are necessary to maintain therapeutic plasma drug concentrations and prevent toxicity or subtherapeutic exposure. Renal impairment alters drug pharmacokinetics, especially in conditions like uremia, where changes such as prolonged elimination half-life and altered apparent volume of distribution can significantly affect drug disposition. These changes require careful modification of the dosing regimen to achieve the desired clinical...
230
Hospitals-I01:28

Hospitals-I

Hospitals offer medical and surgical care to the sick and injured, along with accommodation while they recover. At the same time, they also provide outpatient, emergency, psychiatric, and rehabilitation services to meet various community needs. In addition to providing medical care, hospitals also act as hubs for medical research and training. Hospitals use clinical procedures and evidence-based practice standards to deliver patient care. To deliver safe and efficient care, a nurse must stay up...
1.7K
Cumulative Frequency Distribution01:04

Cumulative Frequency Distribution

A cumulative frequency distribution is another type of frequency distribution. Instead of reporting how many data values fall in some classes, it reports how many data values are contained in either that class or any class to its left. Technically, it means the sum of frequencies of the class and all the classes below it in a frequency distribution. A cumulative frequency is calculated by adding the frequency of each class lower than the corresponding class interval or category. In general, a...
8.6K
Drug Dosing in Renal Diseases: Estimation of Glomerular Filtration Rate Based on Serum Creatinine Concentration01:28

Drug Dosing in Renal Diseases: Estimation of Glomerular Filtration Rate Based on Serum Creatinine Concentration

Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) can be estimated from serum creatinine using the modification of diet in renal disease (MDRD) formula or the chronic kidney disease–epidemiology collaboration (CKD–EPI) equation. Both methods are widely used in clinical practice to assess kidney function and guide treatment decisions.The MDRD equation does not require weight or height measurements and is normalized to the body surface area of 1.73 m², considered the average adult surface area.
237
Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment01:08

Effect of Hepatic Disease on Pharmacokinetics: Dose Adjustments Due to Hepatic Impairment

Hepatic impairment, characterized by decreased liver function, does not uniformly mandate adjustments in drug dosage. Whether dosage modifications are necessary depends on various factors related to the drug's metabolism and elimination pathways. If a drug is primarily excreted via the kidneys and bypasses significant hepatic processing, if it undergoes minimal metabolic transformation in the liver, or if it is volatile and primarily expelled through the lungs, dose adjustments may not be...
281