Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in special groups: A single-center experience in sickle cell disease patients in Saudi Arabia.

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of hereditary diseases, inherited as autosomal recessive disorder, which causes mutation in the β-globin gene. As a result, there is a change in the sixth amino acid from glutamic acid to valine. The affected red blood cell is then prone to polymerization and sickling crisis under conditions of low oxygen tension.