Organized Sports Activities Are Safe for Children With Sickle Cell Disease: A Pilot Intervention Study

Historically, children with sickle cell disease (SCD) are advised to refrain from sports activities, based on the assumption that physical exercise can trigger vaso-occlusive episodes. This pilot intervention study examined the safety (ie, no vaso-occlusive episodes) of a 10-week organized sports program for children with SCD. Eight children with SCD (5 boys/3 girls), aged 7 to 12 years old, received 10 training sessions (each 90 min) once a week. Training sessions were performed by a professional soccer club under the supervision of a medical team from the Wilhelmina Children's Hospital. During the study period, one child experienced a vaso-occlusive crisis, which could not be directly related to the organized sports program. None of the other children experienced vaso-occlusive episodes. The results of this study indicate that children with SCD can participate safely in moderate-intensity organized sports activities when personalized medical background and practical training information is shared with the trainer beforehand. All children continued their sports participation after the study period.