Enhancing Effect of Hydroxyurea on Hb F in Sickle Cell Disease: Ten-Year Egyptian Experience

AbstractPatients with sickle cell disease experience hemolytic anemia and vaso-occlusions that result in pain, organ injury, and premature mortality. Several prospective studies have verified the efficacy and tolerability of hydroxyurea (HU), and demonstrated its efficacy in reducing painful vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) in addition to its ability to increase Hb F levels. We aimed to evaluate the long-term effects of HU therapy on Hb F and assess its long term efficacy and safety in sickle cell disease patients. A retrospective study on 60 sickle cell disease patients was conducted. We studied the laboratory changes, frequency of VOCs per year, frequency of hospital admisions per year and number of transfusions per year, both before and after HU therapy. The follow-up period was 4 to 120 months. Hb F levels after HU therapy positively correlated with the duration of HU therapy, baseline Hb F levels and baseline total hemoglobin (Hb) (r = 0.4, p = 0.04; r = 0.45, p = 0.001; r = 0.5, p = 0.019, respectively)...