Adult sickle cell disease and SARS-CoV-2: an increasingly common comorbidity for a rare disease

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a collection of genetic lesions that manifest in the diminished effectiveness of hemoglobin. We collected and reviewed the recent and extant literature on SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) and SCD. We posit an answer to the question associated with any adaptive responses to COVID-19 in individuals with SCD. We collected papers from MEDLINE and all available published papers on COVID-19 and SCD. Unlike a formal meta-analysis, given the early phase of this review in the pandemic, we did not seek unpublished papers. We found an emerging literature where case studies dominated, and traditional large N epidemiological studies were absent. Patients with SCD share many comorbid illnesses with an increased risk of mortality associated with contracting COVID-19. There is sufficient empirical justification to accelerate research on the impact of a viral pathogen like COVID-19 on individuals with SCD. *************************************************************** List of all authors: Michaela Boggan,1,2,3 Christopher L. Edwards,1,2,3 Jordan Meek,1,2,3 Mary Wood,4 W. Jeff Bryson,5 John J. Sollers,1,2,3 Debra O. Parker,1,2,3 Camela S. Barker,2,5 Jessica Miller,2,6 Brianna Downey,2,5 Asha Lockett,2,5 Jazmin Rosales,1,2,3 Courtney Munroe, Jr.,2 Noa Wax,2,5 Sharena Scott,1,2,3 Bridget Pittman,1,2,3 Merell Turner,1,2,3 Hillary T. Dietahin,1,2,3 Eric Smith,1,2,3 Alexandria McDougald,1,2,3 Samantha Beavers,1,2,3 Lakaiya Meadows,1,2,3 Maya Walker,1,2,3 Andrea Richardson,1,2,3 John J. Sollers, IV,2,8 Grace D. Donahue,2,8 Goldie Byrd,7 Malik Muhammad,1,2 Alvin Kidd,9 Walter Charles,1,2 Jonathan Livingston,1,2,3 Shiv Sudhakar10 1North Carolina Central University; 2NCCU Psychoneuroendocrine and Rare Diseases Laboratory; 3NCCU Debra O. Parker Research Incubator; 4Duke University Medical Center; 5Fielding Graduate University; 6Bridges Point Sickle Cell Foundation; 7Wake Forest Medical Center; 8Thomas Moore University; 9Livingston College; 10California Northstate University, United States

Keywords

• SARS-CoV-2
• COVID-19
• sickle cell disease
• anemia