Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and COVID-19 – A Case Series

Abstract

The ongoing pandemic of COVID-19 that started in the Hubei province of China in late December 2019, caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus-2 (SARS CoV-2). Globally millions affected by the disease so far. The risk of COVID-19 severity and its complications increases with age and other comorbidities. The course of SARS-CoV-2 infection or its related complications has yet to be established in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), once more evidence is available. It is clear from the available data that the course of COVID-19 in patients with SCD is mild to moderate, seldom severe, and rarely fatal. Herein we report three known cases of SCD with confirmed COVID-19, in whom the course of the disease was mild to moderate and uncomplicated with uneventful recoveries.

Clinical outcomes of COVID-19 in patients with sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait: A critical appraisal of the literature

“… n/a 0 (0) Allison et al [ 69 ] USA 1 (1/0) 27 HbSC (1) BT (1) Early red blood cell exchange treatment may have helped mitigate COVID-19 pneumonia and ACS. n/a 0 (0) Al-Naami et al [ 42 ] Saudi Arabia 3 (2/1) 25 HbSS (3) HU (1) Disease course was mild to moderate w/o complications or death. 2 (67) 0 (0) Al-Naami et al [ 106 ] Saudi Arabia 1 (1/0) 29 HbSS/Sβ 0 HU (1) Pt presented asymptomatic with h/o sore throat and loose motions; Uneventful recovery.…”

“…Case studies show even higher hospitalization trends, although this may be in part due to patient selection bias. Of the 9 case studies that reported both hospitalized and non-hospitalized patients, the COVID-19-related hospitalization rate for persons with SCD was 72% (44/61) [ [42] , [43] , [44] , [45] , [46] ].…”