Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder, characterized by hemolytic anemia and vaso‐occlusive crises (VOCs). Data on the global SCD impact on quality of life (QoL) from the patient viewpoint ...are limited. The international Sickle Cell World Assessment Survey (SWAY) aimed to provide insights into patient‐reported impact of SCD on QoL. This cross‐sectional survey of SCD patients enrolled by healthcare professionals and advocacy groups assessed disease impact on daily life, education and work, symptoms, treatment goals, and disease management. Opinions were captured using a Likert scale of 1‐7 for some questions; 5‐7 indicated “high severity/impact.” Two thousand one hundred and forty five patients (mean age 24.7 years standard deviation (SD) = 13.1, 39% ≤18 years, 52% female) were surveyed from 16 countries (six geographical regions). A substantial proportion of patients reported that SCD caused a high negative impact on emotions (60%) and school achievement (51%) and a reduction in work hours (53%). A mean of 5.3 VOCs (SD = 6.8) was reported over the 12 months prior to survey (median 3.0 interquartile range 2.0‐6.0); 24% were managed at home and 76% required healthcare services. Other than VOCs, fatigue was the most commonly reported symptom in the month before survey (65%), graded “high severity” by 67% of patients. Depression and anxiety were reported by 39% and 38% of patients, respectively. The most common patient treatment goal was improving QoL (55%). Findings from SWAY reaffirm that SCD confers a significant burden on patients, epitomized by the high impact on patientsʼ QoL and emotional wellbeing, and the high prevalence of self‐reported VOCs and other symptoms.
Introduction: The Sickle Cell World Assessment Survey (SWAY) was a cross-sectional survey to assess the global impact and treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD). Complications of SCD can lead to ...significant negative effects on patient (pt) quality of life. Recurrent vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) are one of the most common SCD complications and can lead to poor quality of life and chronic organ damage. SCD manifestations can start as early as the first year of life. The implications of SCD on a child's life can be far reaching and may affect education, the global impact of which has not been well described. Here, we assess data from SWAY to better understand the impact of SCD on education among pediatric pts in the US vs other high-income countries (HIC) and low/middle-income countries (LMIC).
Methods: SWAY included individuals aged ≥6 years with a diagnosis of SCD. The survey was completed by proxy (parent/caregiver/guardian) for pts aged 6-11 years and could be optionally self-completed by pts aged ≥12 years. The survey consisted of 7 ratings-based (Likert scale) questions focused on education, where a score of 5, 6, or 7 indicated increasing levels of agreement. Pediatric pts were defined as those aged <18 years. Per the World Bank definition, HIC were defined as having a gross national income per capita of ≥US$12,536; LMIC represented all remaining countries. SWAY was not designed to assess treatment outcomes; all analyses are descriptive. Age groups were not matched, and pts were not followed up over time.
Results: Among the 769 pediatric pts participating in SWAY, there were 77 US respondents to the educational survey (mean age, 12 y), 200 HIC respondents (mean age, 13 y), and 492 LMIC respondents (mean age, 12 y, one respondent did not provide an age). Pediatric pts in all groups reported that SCD adversely impacted their education. Of the US respondents, 51%, 45%, and 52% agreed that SCD negatively impacted performance on school tests, overall performance at school, and school attendance, respectively. This was a higher rate of agreement for these statements than that reported by pediatric pts from other HIC (25%, 23%, 36%) and LMIC (37%, 41%, 50%). The US respondents also agreed that SCD negatively affected performance on homework (45%), caused them to repeat a year or class (42%), lowered interest in school (36%), and limited educational progression (35%). Again, this was a higher rate of agreement than that reported by pediatric pts from other HIC (26%, 14%, 19%, 20%) and LMIC (37%, 32%, 34%, 29%). Interestingly, the largest differences in reported school impact occurred between the US and HIC, where the US respondents showed nearly two-fold higher agreement for all statements except for reduced attendance. Conversely, there were only minor differences between respondents from the US and LMIC. Full results are presented in the Figure.
Conclusions: A higher proportion of pediatric pts in the US reported a negative impact of SCD on schooling compared with those in HIC and LMIC. These results were unexpected but align strongly with the emerging evidence that social determinants prevalent in the US lends itself away from the benefits of living in a resource-rich nation.
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James: GBT: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria. Francis-Gibson: Global Alliance of SCD Organizations: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sickle Cell Disease Association of America: Current Employment; Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Foundation for Cell and Gene Medicine: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; ASH: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Global Blood Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Minniti: GBT: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; NovoNordisk: Consultancy, Honoraria; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria. Paulose: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation: Current Employment. Bailey: Novartis Pharmaceuticals: Other: I am an employee of Adelphi Real World, which received payment from Novartis Pharmaceuticals for this research. Rajkovic-Hooley: Novartis Pharmaceuticals: Other: I am an employee of Adelphi Real World, which received payment from Novartis Pharmaceuticals for this research. Osunkwo: Forma Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Health and Services Administration: Research Funding; Patient Centered Outcomes Research Instituted: Research Funding; Micella Biopharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Chiesi: Consultancy; Emmaus: Consultancy; Cyclerion: Consultancy; Acceleron: Consultancy; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Terumo: Consultancy.
Background: SCD is an inherited blood disorder that for many patients (pts) has a high clinical burden, results in poor quality of life (QoL), and reduces life expectancy. Gaining a deeper ...understanding of pt and HCP experiences of SCD is important to improve pt management.
Aims: SWAY was a cross-sectional survey that assessed pt and HCP experiences of SCD. Here we focus on the experiences of HCPs from various regions on SCD symptoms and complications, impact of SCD on QoL, treatment goals and treatment satisfaction.
Methods: SWAY was developed by international SCD expert physicians, pt advocates and Novartis. HCPs completed the survey between Apr and Oct 2019. Eligible HCPs had qualified in their primary specialty by 2014 and were managing ≥10 SCD pts at the time of survey (≥5 pts per HCP in Canada; ≥2 pts in the Netherlands). Responses to questions on how much SCD impacts pt QoL, and on HCP treatment satisfaction, were ranked on a Likert scale (1-7, where 1=not at all/strongly dissatisfied, 7=a great deal/strongly satisfied; 5-7 indicated high impact/satisfaction). The data reflect only the experiences of the surveyed HCPs in each region (recruited by Adelphi Real World fieldwork). A limitation is that Asia and South America (SA) were represented by single countries (India and Brazil, respectively).
Results: SWAY was completed by 365 HCPs from 6 regions (Table). In all regions HCPs recognized the prevalence of acute and chronic pain, however acute pain was reported less frequently by HCPs in Africa than in other regions (Table). Acute chest syndrome and joint issues were among the top 5 most frequently mentioned complications by HCPs in all regions. Globally, HCPs recognized the high impact of SCD symptoms and complications on pt QoL and the high negative impact of SCD on pt emotional wellbeing (Likert score 5-7 reported by 79-100% and 71-97%, respectively).
Fewer HCPs in the Middle East (ME) reported a high impact of SCD on physical and sexual activity, compared with HCPs in other regions. Around 40% of HCPs in the ME and Asia thought SCD has a high impact on daily activities, compared with 79-90% of HCPs in other regions. In Asia, fewer HCPs reported that SCD has a high impact on pts' education and ability to maintain a job compared with HCPs in other regions (Figure).
Hydroxyurea (HU) was among the top 3 most common therapies ever initiated and was the therapy most likely to be initiated in any age group by HCPs in almost all regions. In Africa, the most common therapy ever initiated and the therapy most likely to be initiated in any age group was opioids (Table). Fewer HCPs in North America (NA; 32%) and SA (27%) were highly satisfied with current SCD treatments, compared with HCPs in other regions (46-72%). The main reason for dissatisfaction was limited treatment options in all regions except Asia, where HCPs said they were unable to reach their treatment goals with current therapies.
Improving pts' QoL was among the top 3 treatment goals for 51-84% of HCPs across all regions. For HCPs in NA and the ME, the most important goal when treating vaso-occlusive crises was to improve QoL; in SA, Europe and Asia it was to avoid organ damage; and in Africa it was to eliminate pain completely.
Discussion: The top 5 most frequent SCD symptoms and complications that HCPs reported were similar across all regions. There were regional differences in HCP experiences of how SCD impacts aspects of pts' daily life, with fewer HCPs in the ME reporting a high impact on physical and sexual activity, and fewer HCPs in Asia and the ME reporting a high impact on daily activities compared with other regions. This may be due to cultural variations, with pts in these regions being less comfortable discussing these topics with HCPs. There was a difference in the reported impact of SCD on school and work between HCPs in Asia and other regions, which could be due to varying expectations regarding school/work productivity. HU was one of the top 3 most common treatments ever initiated by HCPs for pts of any age, except in Africa, which may be due to an educational knowledge gap about HU, high cost, or poor access in this region. HCPs in almost all regions, except Asia, were dissatisfied with current SCD treatments because of limited therapeutic options, indicating a global unmet need for additional treatment choices. Improving QoL was the most important treatment goal for HCPs in all regions, demonstrating the high negative impact that SCD has on pt QoL and the ongoing need for methods to address this.
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Osunkwo: Novartis Pharmaceuticals: Consultancy, Honoraria, Speakers Bureau; FORMA Therapeutics: Consultancy; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Speakers Bureau; Chiesi: Consultancy; Acceleron: Consultancy; Cyclerion: Consultancy; Emmaus: Consultancy. Minniti: Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria; NovoNordisk: Consultancy, Honoraria; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria; GBT: Consultancy, Research Funding. Nur: Roche: Speakers Bureau; Celgene: Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Nero: Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy; Editas Medicine: Consultancy; bluebird bio: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy. Colombatti: Global Blood Therapeutics: Research Funding; Addmedica: Consultancy; Forma Therapeutics: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy; NovoNordisk: Consultancy; BlueBirdBio: Consultancy; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy; BlueBirdBio: Research Funding. de Montalembert: Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Addmedica: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; bluebird bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Vertex: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Abboud: Jazz Pharmaceuticals: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Research Support and Advisory Board, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: Reserach support and advisory board , Research Funding; GBT: Other: Research Support, Research Funding; Vertex Pharmaceuticals: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Other: DSMB. Arlet: Addmedica: Research Funding; Pfizer: Honoraria; Novartis company: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Jastaniah: Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding. Pita: GLOBAL ALLIANCE OF SCD: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; LUA VERMELHA SCD ASSOCIATION: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Francis-Gibson: Global Blood Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sickle Cell Disease Association of America: Current Employment; ASH: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Foundation for Cell and Gene Medicine: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Global Alliance of SCD Organizations: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Trimnell: Novartis: Consultancy; Cyclerion: Consultancy; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy. DeBonnett: Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation: Current Employment. Bailey: Novartis Pharmaceuticals: Other: I am an employee of Adelphi Real World, which received payment from Novartis Pharmaceuticals for this research. Rajkovic-Hooley: Novartis Pharmaceuticals: Other: I am an employee of Adelphi Real World, which received payment from Novartis Pharmaceuticals for this research. James: GBT: Honoraria; Novartis: Honoraria.
Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is associated with many clinical complications, with vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) being a hallmark of the disease. SCD-related complications are largely driven ...by vaso-occlusion and hemolytic anemia, and can lead to end-organ damage and early death. Analyses of SWAY, a cross-sectional survey, highlighted a substantial global impact of SCD on patients' quality of life (QoL) (James et al. ASH 2019; Osunkwo et al. ASH 2019). However, understanding how the burden of disease differs for pts of different ages could help improve management of SCD over a pt's lifespan.
Aim: To assess, using data from SWAY, whether symptoms (excluding VOCs, as previously analyzed by Osunkwo et al. EHA 2020), treatment goals and the perceived impact of SCD were different for pts of different ages.
Methods: Between April and October 2019, 2145 SCD pts aged ≥6 years participated in SWAY. The survey was completed by proxy (parent/caregiver/guardian) for pts aged 6-11 years and could be optionally self-completed by pts aged ≥12 years. Opinions were captured using a 1-7 Likert scale for some questions (5-7 indicated high satisfaction/impact/agreement). SWAY was not designed to assess treatment outcomes; all analyses are descriptive. Age groups were not matched and pts were not followed over time.
Results: To understand how the most dominant symptoms of SCD differ for pts of different ages, the top 5 most commonly reported symptoms, stratified by age, were analyzed (Figure 1). Fatigue and bone aches were consistently reported, and the proportion of pts reporting them trended towards increasing with age. Furthermore, when asked which symptoms they most wanted to be resolved, fatigue was ranked in the top 3 by 40.7% of pts. Anxiety was a dominant symptom for pts aged 19-25, 36-45 and 46-50 years, whereas low mood was a dominant symptom for pts aged 19-50 and ≥60 years. Poor appetite was a dominant symptom for pts aged 6-16 years. Breathing issues were a dominant symptom for pts aged 6-18, 46-50 and ≥60 years, whereas vision issues were a dominant symptom for pts aged 51-59 years only. Insomnia was dominant for pts aged 46-50.
The treatment goals that pts ranked as the most important were similar across age groups. Pts consistently included improving QoL, preventing worsening of SCD, reducing the number of VOCs and improving overall symptoms in their top 3, although the proportions of pts reporting these varied across age groups (Figure 2). Unsurprisingly, 23.0% of pts aged 12-16 years ranked increasing the ability to attend school in their top 3 goals. For pts aged 46-50 and 51-59 years, 27.5% and 20.7%, respectively, ranked reducing fatigue in their top 3 treatment goals.
The highest proportions of pts reporting a high impact of SCD on their emotional wellbeing were aged 46-50 years (74.5%) and ≥60 years (73.9%), compared with 59.6% of all pts. Similarly, the highest proportions of pts reporting a high impact of SCD on daily activities were aged 46-50 years (51.0%) and ≥60 years (60.9%), compared with 38.1% of all pts.
Limitations: These findings are based on pt and proxy reports, with potential parental bias being introduced for pediatric patients. There were variations in sample sizes, which was most noticeable for patients aged ≥46 years.
Discussion: Fatigue and bone aches were consistently reported as dominant symptoms for all ages. Other dominant symptoms that were not consistent across age groups were anxiety, low mood, poor appetite, breathing issues and vision issues. In addition to the 36-45 years and 46-50 years groups, anxiety was a dominant symptom for pts aged 19-25 years. Along with other changes that could occur at this age, a recent transition from pediatric to adult care may contribute to anxiety being a dominant symptom; however, any direct relationship between anxiety and transitioning between care systems requires further investigation. The consistent reporting of low mood among adults, but not pediatrics, may reflect the increasing burden of disease that occurs with age. This is supported by higher proportions of pts aged ≥46 years versus <45 years reporting a high impact on emotional wellbeing and daily life.
Improving QoL was consistently ranked the most important treatment goal for pts. This emphasizes, from the pt's perspective, the need for further improvements in the management of SCD.
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Colombatti:Global Blood Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Addmedica: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. James:Sickle Cell Society: Current Employment; Novartis: Honoraria. Andemariam:Hemanext: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; CHNCT: Consultancy; CRISPR/Vertex: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Cyclerion: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Accordant: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Guidepoint: Honoraria; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NovoNordisk: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Terumo BCT: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi Genzyme: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Imara: Research Funding; Vertex: Honoraria; Emmaus: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; bluebird bio: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Inusa:Vertex: Research Funding; Bluebird bio: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Other: Steering committee participation, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Global Blood Therapeutics: Honoraria, Other: Steering committee participation, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Steering committee participation, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. El Rassi:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Cyclerion: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Global Blood Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bluebird bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Francis-Gibson:Sickle Cell Disease Association of America: Current Employment. Nero:Bluebird bio: Consultancy; Novartis: Consultancy. Minniti:Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; TauTona: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bluebird bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; Emmaus: Consultancy, Research Funding; CLS Bering: Consultancy. Trimnell:Novartis: Consultancy; Cyclerion: Consultancy; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy. Abboud:Amgen: Other: Travel support; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Crispr Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Global Blood Therapeutics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Eli Lilly: Research Funding; Modus Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding. Arlet:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. de Montalembert:Addmedica: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bluebird bio: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Vertex: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Jain:Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Society: Other: Chief Medical Research Officer and Secretary. Jastaniah:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Nur:Novartis: Consultancy. Ramscar:Novartis Pharma AG: Current Employment. Bailey:Novartis: Other: Employee of Adelphi Real World, which has received consultancy fees from Novartis; Adelphi Real World: Current Employment. Rajkovic-Hooley:Adelphi Real World: Current Employment; Novartis: Other: Employee of Adelphi Real World, which has received consultancy fees from Novartis. Osunkwo:Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Terumo: Consultancy; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Acceleron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; FORMA Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): Research Funding; Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): Research Funding; Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) membership for Micella Biopharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
Background: SWAY was a cross-sectional survey that assessed the global impact and treatment of sickle cell disease (SCD) (James et al. ASH 2019). SCD puts patients at risk of multiple complications ...driven by vaso-occlusion and hemolytic anemia. Vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs) are the hallmark of SCD and can require healthcare attention. VOC frequency may be reduced by HU (Charache et al. N Engl J Med 1995).
Aims: We assessed self-reported symptoms and quality of life (QoL) indicators for patients who reported using HU at the time of SWAY versus patients who did not, and we collected data on all treatments reported by SCD patients, by geographical region. Data were also collected regarding historical patient-reported use of HU prior to SWAY but these are not included here.
Methods: SWAY was completed between April and October 2019 by SCD patients from 16 countries across 6 regions. A limitation is that Asia and South America were represented by single countries (India and Brazil, respectively). SWAY was completed by proxy (parent/guardian/caregiver) for patients aged 6-11 years and could be optionally self-completed by patients aged ≥12 years. Opinions were captured using a 1-7 Likert scale for some questions (5-7 indicated high satisfaction/impact/agreement). SWAY did not assess treatment outcomes.
Results: Of 2145 patients, 652 (30%) reported receiving HU at the time of SWAY (56% female; 50% aged 6-25 years); 1493 patients reported not receiving HU at the time of SWAY (51% female; 59% aged 6-25 years). The number of patients reporting HU use varied regionally (Table). Patients who reported using HU also reported a lower VOC burden than patients who did not report using HU at the time of SWAY (median: 3 vs 4 VOCs in the 12 months before SWAY, respectively). However, considering other symptoms commonly experienced in the month prior to SWAY, a greater proportion of patients who reported using HU experienced these symptoms than patients who did not report using HU, except for headache and poor appetite, which were experienced by a lower proportion of patients who reported HU use (Figure). Similar proportions of patients reported that SCD had a high impact (Likert scale 5-7) on emotional wellbeing (61% reported HU use at time of SWAY vs 59% did not report HU use at time of SWAY) and daily activities (39% vs 40%, respectively).
Overall, when including dietary supplements, the most common treatment reported at the time of SWAY in all regions except the Middle East was folic acid. Common treatments varied regionally when excluding supplements (Table). Top treatment goals for patients in all regions were to improve QoL and prevent SCD worsening. Treatment satisfaction (range: 57-92%) was highest in Asia (Table). Over 70% of patients wanted alternatives to their ongoing pain medications in all regions, except Asia (44%).
Discussion: The proportion of patients reporting HU use at the time of SWAY was variable, but relatively low; HU was not in the top 3 treatments for Africa, Europe or North America. HU use was lowest in Africa, where no patients reported receiving HU at the time of the survey, which probably reflects high relative cost and poor access. Our regional analysis showed that many patients take supplements, such as folic acid, rather than HU. This may be indicative of limited alternatives to HU and reflects the differing global costs and availability of both medication and monitoring blood tests. Low reported use of HU may also reflect patients' concerns about side effects or reluctance to take daily medication. It should be noted that some patients may be familiar with ‘hydroxycarbamide’ as a name for HU and might not have recognized the term ‘hydroxyurea’ on the survey. Data from SWAY were not validated by medical records and depended on patients' recall.
Patients reporting HU use at the time of SWAY had a lower VOC burden than patients not reporting HU use. QoL indicators were similar for the 2 groups, but the overall symptom burden was higher for patients who reported HU use compared with those who did not. However, the 2 groups were not matched for pre-treatment disease burden and no information was collected regarding adherence or duration of previous HU use. Overall, although many patients reported treatment satisfaction, many wanted alternative pain management therapies. A wider range of treatment options are needed to reduce SCD symptoms and improve QoL, ultimately helping patients achieve their treatment goals.
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El Rassi:Novartis: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; Cyclerion: Research Funding; Pfizer: Research Funding; Global Blood Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bluebird bio: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. James:Sickle Cell Society: Current Employment; Novartis: Honoraria. Andemariam:Terumo BCT: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Sanofi Genzyme: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Guidepoint: Honoraria; Accordant: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Roche: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; NovoNordisk: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Imara: Research Funding; Hemanext: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; CHNCT: Consultancy; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Vertex: Honoraria; bluebird bio: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Emmaus: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; CRISPR/Vertex: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Cyclerion: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Inusa:Bluebird bio: Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Honoraria, Other: Steering committee participation, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Global Blood Therapeutics: Honoraria, Other: Steering committee participation, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau; Vertex: Research Funding; Novartis: Honoraria, Other: Steering committee participation, Research Funding, Speakers Bureau. Francis-Gibson:Sickle Cell Disease Association of America: Current Employment. Nero:Novartis: Consultancy; Bluebird bio: Consultancy. Minniti:Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Research Funding; Emmaus: Consultancy, Research Funding; Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding; Novartis: Consultancy, Research Funding; TauTona: Consultancy, Research Funding; Bluebird bio: Consultancy, Research Funding; CLS Bering: Consultancy. Trimnell:Novartis: Consultancy; Cyclerion: Consultancy; Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy. Abboud:Eli Lilly: Research Funding; Modus Pharmaceuticals: Research Funding; Crispr Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Amgen: Other: Travel support; Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria, Research Funding; Novo Nordisk: Consultancy, Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Global Blood Therapeutics: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding; AstraZeneca: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Research Funding. Arlet:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Colombatti:Global Blood Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Addmedica: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. de Montalembert:Addmedica: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Bluebird bio: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Vertex: Honoraria, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees. Jain:Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Society: Other: Chief Medical Research Officer and Secretary. Jastaniah:Novartis: Consultancy, Honoraria. Nur:Novartis: Consultancy. Ramscar:Novartis Pharma AG: Current Employment. Bailey:Novartis: Other: Employee of Adelphi Real World, which has received consultancy fees from Novartis; Adelphi Real World: Current Employment. Rajkovic-Hooley:Adelphi Real World: Current Employment; Novartis: Other: Employee of Adelphi Real World, which has received consultancy fees from Novartis. Osunkwo:Global Blood Therapeutics: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Acceleron: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB) membership for Micella Biopharma: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Novartis: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees, Speakers Bureau; FORMA Therapeutics: Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees; Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA): Research Funding; Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI): Research Funding; Terumo: Consultancy; Pfizer: Consultancy, Membership on an entity's Board of Directors or advisory committees.
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