Sickle cell disease and coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) infection: a single-center experience

Sickle cell disease (SCD) has been found to be associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and death from coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). We sought to study clinical outcomes in patients with SCD and a diagnosis of COVID-19 infection.

We conducted a retrospective analysis of adult patients (>18 years) with SCD who were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection between 1 March 2020 and 31 March 2021. Data on baseline characteristics and overall outcomes were collected and analyzed using SAS 9.4 for Windows.

A total of 51 patients with SCD were diagnosed with COVID-19 infection in the study period, out of which 39.3% were diagnosed and managed in the outpatient setting/emergency room (ER) and 60.3% in the inpatient setting. Disease-modifying therapy such as hydroxyurea did not impact inpatient vs outpatient/ER management (P > 0.05). Only 5.71% (n = 2) required intensive care unit admission and were mechanically ventilated and 3.9% (2 patients) died of complications of COVID-19 infection.

We identified a lower mortality (3.9%) rate among patients in our cohort in comparison to previous studies and a higher burden of inpatient hospitalizations as compared to outpatient/ER management. Further prospective data are needed to validate these findings. Key messages What is already known on this topic COVID-19 has been shown to have a disproportionately unfavorable impact on African Americans, including longer hospital stays, higher rates of ventilator dependence, and a higher overall mortality rate. Limited data also suggest that sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with an increased risk of hospitalization and death from COVID-19. What this study adds Our analysis did not show a higher mortality due to COVID-19 in patients with SCD. However, we identified a high burden of inpatient hospitalizations in this population. COVID-19-related outcomes did not improve with the use of disease-modifying therapies. How this study might affect research, practice, or policy These results will aid in decision making for triage of patients with COVID-19 and SCD and ensure the most appropriate use of healthcare resources. Our analysis underscores the need for more robust data to identify patients at higher risk of severe disease and/or mortality, necessitating inpatient hospitalization and aggressive management.