Sickle Cell: Stopping kids' silent strokes

(Ivanhoe Newswire) ST. LOUIS, Mo. -- About 100,000 Americans have sickle cell disease a genetic condition where the body's red blood cells are deformed, clogging up arteries, and causing pain, disability or major stroke, even in kids. Patients who suffer strokes often have regular blood transfusions to prevent a repeat attack.

Researchers now say those transfusions can be crucial for many more young sickle cell patients, even those who are showing no outward signs of brain injury.

Twelve-year-old Alexis Haynes has come a long way. At age six, a sudden stroke put her in a coma for a full month.

The doctors told us that she wouldn't be able to walk, she wouldn't be able to talk, she wouldn't remember us, Kelvin Haynes, Alexis' father told Ivanhoe.

Every six weeks, Alexis spends hours getting her blood transfused. New red blood cells replace her sickle-shaped ones. While Alexis' stroke was apparent, experts say one in three children with sickle cell suffer silent strokes.

These are injury to parts of the brain that don't control speech, they don't control movement in an arm or a leg, so they typically go unnoticed, Michael Noetzel, M.D., and Pediatric Neurologist at Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, told Ivanhoe.

These kids have a higher risk of memory problems. Many have trouble at school. They're also at much higher risk for having a major stroke.

Dr. Noetzel studied one-hundred and 96 children age five and older, who had brain scans that showed evidence of silent strokes. For three years, 99 received monthly transfusions, the rest did not. Researchers found the transfusions reduced the risk of strokes of any kind by 58-percent.

Now that we have an intervention at hand that could be helpful-there's no reason not to think about screening younger children, Dr. Noetzel explained.

Identifying kids at risk before any damage is done.

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Sickle Cell: Stopping kids' silent strokes