Hydroxyurea to decrease stroke risk in children with sickle cell anemia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

ABSTRACT: Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an inherited hemolytic anemia that causes stroke in children. Transcranial Doppler ultrasound (TCD) of the intracerebral arteries quantifies primary stroke risk. Chronic blood transfusions reduce risk but are not always feasible in lower resource settings. Hydroxyurea decreases TCD velocities in SCA, but the effect size and duration are unclear. We conducted a systematic review to understand hydroxyurea's effectiveness in children. We searched 5 major medical databases (CINAHL, EMBASE, Trip Medical Database, Scopus, and PubMed) and identified prospective clinical trials that enrolled children with SCA, performed TCD screening before hydroxyurea treatment, and collected serial measurements of TCD velocities and stroke incidence during hydroxyurea treatment. Citat

SUBMITTER: Ambrose EE 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12721586 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature