Impact of VEGFA −583C > T polymorphism on serum VEGF levels and the susceptibility to acute chest syndrome in pediatric patients with sickle cell disease

We investigated the association of VEGFA −583C > T on VEGF serum levels and acute chest syndrome (ACS) in 351 pediatric patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), of whom 90 had ACS, and 261 were ACS-free controls. Significant differences in −583C > T minor allele and genotype frequencies were seen between ACS cases and controls, evidenced by enrichment of −583T/T genotypes in patients with ACS, which were linked with reduction in VEGF serum levels. VEGFA −583C > T and reduced VEGF serum levels may influence ACS risk in patients with SCD, which will aid in identifying patients with SCD who are at high risk of ACS. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2014;61:2310–2312. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.