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Medicina
Special Issues
Sickle Cell Disease and the COVID-19 Pandemic
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Sickle Cell Disease and the COVID-19 Pandemic

A special issue of Medicina (ISSN 1648-9144).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 September 2023) | Viewed by 4100

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Dimitris A. Tsitsikas

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Consultant Haematologist, Homerton University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
Interests: sickle cell disease; transfusion; therapeutic apheresis

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited disorder worldwide. It is characterised by a state of chronic haemolysis and anaemia as well as vaso-occlusion, associated with significant morbidity and mortality due to both acute and chronic complications. Patients with SCD are considered immunocompromised as the majority have different degrees of functional hyposplenism resulting from recurrent splenic auto-infarction. In addition, they have an increased thrombotic risk and may also suffer from a multitude of sickle-related comorbidities as SCD has the potential of causing end-organ damage affecting practically every system.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been and still is a global health crisis with patients having serious underlying medical problems being at higher risk of developing a severe infection or even dying as a result. In this context, patients with SCD have been considered a vulnerable group due to their impaired immunity and the potential presence of other, often severe, comorbidities such as pulmonary hypertension or renal disease.

Given the importance of the impact of COVID-19 on patients with SCD in the field of medicine and research, the journal Medicina is launching this Special Issue.

We encourage you and your co-workers to submit your articles reporting on this topic. Reviews or original articles dealing with preventative measures, treatment strategies and outcomes, as well as articles providing insight on the challenges the COVID-19 pandemic posed on the overall care of these chronic patients, potential disruption in care delivery and innovative service adaptations are particularly welcome. In addition, we warmly invite you to submit articles highlighting lessons learned during this period that may be transferable and may lead to improved quality of care delivered to SCD patients outside the context of COVID-19.

Dr. Dimitris A. Tsitsikas
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Medicina is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • sickle cell disease
  • COVID-19
  • sickle crisis
  • acute chest syndrome
  • transfusion
  • thrombosis
  • thromboprophylaxis
  • vaccination

Published Papers (2 papers)

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11 pages, 1911 KiB  
Brief Report
Autonomic and Vascular Responses during Reactive Hyperemia in Healthy Individuals and Patients with Sickle Cell Anemia
by Erislandis López-Galán, Adrián Alejandro Vitón-Castillo, Ramón Carrazana-Escalona, Maylet Planas-Rodriguez, Adolfo Arsenio Fernández-García, Ileana Cutiño-Clavel, Alexander Pascau-Simon, Philippe Connes, Miguel Enrique Sánchez-Hechavarría and Gustavo Alejandro Muñoz-Bustos
Medicina 2023, 59(6), 1141; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina59061141 - 13 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1883
Abstract
Background and Objectives: To compare autonomic and vascular responses during reactive hyperemia (RH) between healthy individuals and patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Materials and Methods: Eighteen healthy subjects and 24 SCA patients were subjected to arterial occlusion for 3 min at the [...] Read more.
Background and Objectives: To compare autonomic and vascular responses during reactive hyperemia (RH) between healthy individuals and patients with sickle cell anemia (SCA). Materials and Methods: Eighteen healthy subjects and 24 SCA patients were subjected to arterial occlusion for 3 min at the lower right limb level. The pulse rate variability (PRV) and pulse wave amplitude were measured through photoplethysmography using the Angiodin® PD 3000 device, which was placed on the first finger of the lower right limb 2 min before (Basal) and 2 min after the occlusion. Pulse peak intervals were analyzed using time–frequency (wavelet transform) methods for high-frequency (HF: 0.15–0.4) and low-frequency (LF: 0.04–0.15) bands, and the LF/HF ratio was calculated. Results: The pulse wave amplitude was higher in healthy subjects compared to SCA patients, at both baseline and post-occlusion (p < 0.05). Time–frequency analysis showed that the LF/HF peak in response to the post-occlusion RH test was reached earlier in healthy subjects compared to SCA patients. Conclusions: Vasodilatory function, as measured by PPG, was lower in SCA patients compared to healthy subjects. Moreover, a cardiovascular autonomic imbalance was present in SCA patients with high sympathetic and low parasympathetic activity in the basal state and a poor response of the sympathetic nervous system to RH. Early cardiovascular sympathetic activation (10 s) and vasodilatory function in response to RH were impaired in SCA patients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sickle Cell Disease and the COVID-19 Pandemic)
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9 pages, 263 KiB  
Perspective
Reflections from a Psychologist Working with Sickle Cell and Thalassaemia Patients during the COVID-19 Pandemic
by Dede-Kossi Osakonor and Dimitris A. Tsitsikas
Medicina 2022, 58(9), 1286; https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina58091286 - 15 Sep 2022
Viewed by 1707
Abstract
Sickle cell disease and thalassaemia are life-long haematological diseases that can impact the quality of life of patients. This impact on quality of life can require intermittent psychological input throughout the lifespan for management. Managing everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic could be [...] Read more.
Sickle cell disease and thalassaemia are life-long haematological diseases that can impact the quality of life of patients. This impact on quality of life can require intermittent psychological input throughout the lifespan for management. Managing everyday life during the COVID-19 pandemic could be challenging for people with these health conditions, which could impact their health, their mood and anxiety, their perception of control, and their engagement with their regular healthcare services. This report describes the characteristics of these health conditions and discusses reflections, from a specialist psychology service working with this clinical population, about the impact of COVID-19 on patient engagement with the service. The main aim of this report is to highlight the relevance and usefulness of videoconferencing as a therapy format, suggest implications for further service development and suggest alternate ways of working therapeutically with clients. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sickle Cell Disease and the COVID-19 Pandemic)
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