Children and adults with sickle cell disease (SCD) have increases in morbidity and mortality with COVID-19 infections. The American Society of Hematology Research Collaborative Sickle Cell Disease Research Network performed a prospective COVID-19 vaccine study to assess antibody responses and analyze whether messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination precipitated any adverse effects unique to individuals with SCD. Forty-one participants received 2 doses of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and provided baseline blood samples before vaccination and 2 months after the initial vaccination for analysis of immunoglobulin G (IgG) reactivity against the receptor binding domain (RBD) of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 spike protein.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Although nitric oxide based therapeutics have been shown in preclinical models to reduce vaso-occlusive events and improve cardiovascular function, a clinical trial of a phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor increased rates of admission to hospital for pain. We aimed to examine if riociguat, a direct stimulator of the nitric oxide receptor soluble guanylate cyclase, causes similar increases in vaso-occlusive events.
Methods: This was a phase 1-2, randomised, double blind, placebo-controlled trial.