Genetics of Sickle Cell-Associated Cardiovascular Disease: An Expert Review with Lessons Learned in Africa.

ABSTRACT: Sickle cell disease (SCD) vastly impacts the African continent and is associated with cardiovascular diseases. Stroke, kidney disease, and pulmonary hypertension are considered as proxies of severity in SCD with several genomic loci implicated in their heritability. The present expert review examined the current data on epidemiology and genetic risk factors of stroke, pulmonary hypertension, and kidney disease associated with SCD, as indexed in PubMed^® and Google Scholar^®. Studies collectively show that stroke and kidney disease each affect ∼10% of SCD patients, with pulmonary hypertension displaying a higher prevalence of 30% among adults with SCD. There is some evidence that these epidemiology figures may be an underestimate in SCD patients living in Africa. A modes

SUBMITTER: Geard A 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5067873 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature