Contact: Julia Evangelou Strait
straitj@wustl.edu
314-286-0141
Washington University School of Medicine

Into Adulthood, Sickle Cell Patients Rely on ER

Caption: Moving from childhood to adulthood, patients with sickle cell disease rely more on emergency care, according to a new study from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Normal red blood cells (top) are round and disk-like. The genetic disorder causes many red blood cells to develop an abnormal sickle shape (bottom), making it hard for blood to flow through vessels and carry oxygen to the body. The condition can cause debilitating pain, blindness, strokes and pneumonia.

Credit: Morey A. Blinder, M.D.

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