Cognitive-motor dual-task interference in adults with sickle cell disease.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder that causes physical and cognitive impairment due to hemolysis, painful vaso-occlusion episodes, joint avascular necrosis, and strokes. As individuals with SCD age and develop conditions impacting their physical and cognitive function, their ability to multitask successfully and safely may decline. Cognitive-motor dual-task interference occurs when there is deterioration in one or both tasks while dual-tasking relative to single-tasking.

Management of Older Adults with Sickle Cell Disease: Considerations for Current and Emerging Therapies.

People with sickle cell disease (SCD) are living longer than ever before, with the median survival increasing from age 14 years in 1973, beyond age 40 years in the 1990s, and as high as 61 years in recent cohorts from academic centers. Improvements in survival have been attributed to initiatives, such as newborn screening, penicillin prophylaxis, vaccination against encapsulated organisms, better detection and treatment of splenic sequestration, and improved transfusion support. There are an estimated 100,000 people living with SCD in the United States and millions of people with SCD globally.

How I treat anemia in older adults.

With the global growing older adult population, clinicians face the common, yet complex challenge of how to evaluate and manage anemia in this population. Older age predisposes to common causes of anemia such as nutritional deficiencies, inflammatory disorders, chronic kidney disease, and hematologic malignancies. Failure to diagnose and appropriately manage anemia may result in decreased quality of life, impaired cognition, impaired mobility, and increased mortality.

Characterising the prevalence of overweight and obese status among adults with sickle cell disease.

Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) have historically been considered underweight. Despite increasing body mass index (BMI) in the general population, the prevalence of overweight and obese status remains unclear in the adult SCD population. Our primary aim was to determine the prevalence of overweight and obese status and to identify associations between BMI, demographic, and clinical characteristics.

"Death is as Much Part of Life as Living": Attitudes and Experiences Preparing for Death from Older Adults with Sickle Cell Disease.

The life-limiting and unpredictable nature of sickle cell disease (SCD) is well-established, yet there is limited literature on end-of-life planning. The purpose of this study was to describe perspectives about preparing for death for older adults with SCD. We enrolled 19 older adults with SCD (age ≥ 50 years) into this qualitative descriptive study.

The Sickle Cell Disease Functional Assessment (SCD-FA) tool: a feasibility pilot study.

Background: The life expectancy for individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) has greatly increased over the last 50 years. Adults with SCD experience multiple complications such as cardiopulmonary disease, strokes, and avascular necrosis that lead to limitations that geriatric populations often experience. There are no dedicated instruments to measure functional decline and functional age to determine risk of future adverse outcomes in older adults with SCD.

Optimizing management of sickle cell disease in patients undergoing surgery.

Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) are likely to be referred for surgery at some point in their lifetime due to a high incidence of musculoskeletal and intrabdominal complications such as avascular necrosis and gallbladder disease. Preoperative optimization is a multidisciplinary process that involves a hematologist with SCD expertise, an anesthesiologist, and the surgical team. The type and risk classification of the surgery, disease severity, medications, baseline hemoglobin, transfusion history, and history of prior surgical complications are often documented.

Geriatric assessment for older adults with sickle cell disease: protocol for a prospective cohort pilot study.

Background: The life expectancy for people with sickle cell disease (SCD) has improved tremendously over the last 50 years. This population experiences hemolysis and vaso-occlusion in multiple organs that lead to complications such as cardiopulmonary disease, strokes, and avascular necrosis. These complications can limit mobility and aerobic endurance, similar to limitations that often occur in geriatric populations.

Adherence to Iron Chelation Therapy with Deferasirox Formulations among Patients with Sickle Cell Disease and β-thalassemia.

Background: Individuals with hemoglobinopathies experience complications that often require management with multiple transfusions. These chronic transfusions can lead to iron overload, which places them at increased risk of organ damage, malignancy, and even death. Deferasirox is the most common iron chelator used to treat iron overload due to its safety, efficacy, and oral administration.