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Trusted Resources: Evidence & Education
Scientific literature and patient education texts
Adding Hydroxyurea to Your Treatment Plan
source: CVS Specialty, Inc.
year: 2022
summary/abstract:Living with sickle cell disease (SCD) can be hard. Complications including pain, anemia, acute chest syndrome, and silent organ damage can occur anywhere in your body, at any time, and without warning.
One of the most common complications is sudden and intense pain. Pain in SCD is usually caused by the sickle-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow through the tiny blood vessels throughout your body. The abnormal shape is due to a different form of hemoglobin (the oxygen-carrying protein) in sickled red blood cells. Usually, with normal hemoglobin, red blood cells are round, soft and flexible. Due to the presence of abnormal hemoglobin, red blood cells in SCD are stiff and shaped like a sickle (a farm tool) or a crescent moon. These red blood cells don’t flow easily through your body. They can get stuck in the blood vessels and block oxygen from getting to your tissues. That can cause pain, which is commonly felt in the back, chest, hands and feet.
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This platform is made possible through a partnership with the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America, Inc. (SCDAA) and its member organizations. SCDAA's mission is to advocate for people affected by sickle cell conditions and empower community-based organizations to maximize quality of life and raise public consciousness while advancing the search for a universal cure.