On the cutting edge of sickle cell disease: a snapshot narrative review

Abstract

Background Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common hemoglobinopathy worldwide, characterized by vaso-occlusive crises and ischemia that affects patients on a multi-system level. Despite being a genetically simple disease due to a single base mutation, SCD poses many therapeutic challenges. Additionally, its impact on patients’ life remains significant. This narrative review aims to provide a snapshot of recent highlights of the significant progress in SCD therapy, and the impact of SCD on patients’ life, including the complications, morbidity, and mortality factors of the disease. Methodology Google Scholar and PubMed were searched for “sickle cell disease”. Only full-text English language original research articles were included in this review. In total, 600 articles were screened, 300 from each database, which were published from 2020 to 2024-06-01. A total of 139 studies were included in this review, after screening for inclusion. Conclusions The increasing global incidence of sickle cell disease underscores the urgency for healthcare interventions to address the health challenges of an aging population living with this chronic condition. While treatment options for sickle cell disease have broadened, their availability is still limited. Among these options, stem cell transplant stands out as the definitive treatment, with ongoing efforts to enhance the donor pool. The disease significantly affects patients' quality of life and overall health, with emerging neurological and psychiatric issues. Additionally, the impact of sickle cell disease on reproductive health in both men and women presents a pressing need for further research to meet reproductive challenges.