Sickle Cell

As The Opioid Backlash Grows, Sickle Cell Patients Fear They'll Lose Critical Pain Treatment

Alex Smith

Long before Eric Kirkwood of Kansas City, Kansas, had his first sickle cell crisis at age 17, he knew about the pain caused by the disease. His uncle...

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder that alters red blood cells. A defect in hemoglobin (a protein that helps the cells carry oxygen through the body) causes red blood cells to become rigid and take on a crescent (sickle) shape.

Health, Science, Environment

Washington University gets $4.3 million to improve treatments for sickle cell disease

Improved treatments for sickle cell disease are extending the life expectancy of thousands of people in the United States, but many patients still lack…

Tanjila Bolden-Myers, 38, stands in the hallway of Beaumont High School in St. Louis. She works as a behavioral health specialist, and was diagnosed with sickle cell disease as an infant.

Health, Science, Environment

When cracking down on opioids means tougher access for sickle cell patients

Growing up, as the searing pain of a sickle cell crisis would spread through her veins, Tanjila Bolden-Myers would ask her mother if this time, it would…

Health, Science, Environment

Monthly Blood Transfusions Can Prevent “Silent” Strokes In Children With Sickle Cell Anemia

An international study initiated by Washington University has found that giving monthly blood transfusions to children with sickle cell anemia can…

Health, Science, Environment

Despite Funding Challenges, St. Louis Researchers Find Ways To Study Rare Diseases

Just as with most things in life, when it comes to researching diseases, there is strength in numbers. Most funding goes to researching well-known and…