Facts About Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle Cell Disease Goes Beyond Red Blood Cells and, Early on, Progresses to a Chronic Vascular Disease Vaso-Occlusive Crises May Account for a Majority of the Burden of Sickle Cell Disease • Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder arising from mutations in the hemoglobin gene • Multicellular adhesion among endothelium and blood cells is a major driver of vaso-occlusion and vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) • The upregulation and expression of specific adhesion mediators, including selectins, drive multicellular adhesion clusters • VOCs are the clinical hallmark of SCD and originate from ongoing, silent, vaso-occlusion   Abstract source