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Review
. 2021 Sep 2;92(4):e2021386.
doi: 10.23750/abm.v92i4.11917.

The Effects of Treatment with Blood Transfusion, Iron Chelation and Hydroxyurea on Puberty, Growth and Spermatogenesis in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD): A short update

Ashraf T Soliman  1 , Nada Alaaraj  2 , Mohamed Yassin  3
Affiliations
Review

The Effects of Treatment with Blood Transfusion, Iron Chelation and Hydroxyurea on Puberty, Growth and Spermatogenesis in Sickle Cell Disease (SCD): A short update

Ashraf T Soliman et al. Acta Biomed. .

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is traditionally associated with growth failure and delayed puberty. Wasting and stunting are still prevalent in children and adolescents with SCD, especially in developing countries. In addition, sperm abnormalities are frequent in males with SCD, with high rates of low sperm density, low sperm counts, poor motility, and increased abnormal morphology. Severe anemia, vaso-occlusive attacks with ischemic injury to different organs including the pituitary gland and testis, and nutritional factors are incriminated in the pathogenesis of defective growth, puberty, and spermatogenesis. There is great phenotypic variability among patients with SCD. The variability in the clinical severity of SCA can partly be explained by genetic modifiers, including HbF level and co-inheritance of α-thalassemia. In the past, severe disease led to early mortality. Advancements in treatment have allowed patients with SCD to have a longer and better quality of life. For most patients, the mainstays of treatment are preventive and supportive. For those with severe SCD, three major therapeutic options are currently available: erythrocyte transfusion or exchange, hydroxyurea, and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. In this mini-review, the authors tried to recognize, delineate, and update knowledge on abnormalities due to SCD from those created by the use of different treatment modalities.

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Conflict of interest statement

Each author declares that he or she has no commercial associations (e.g. consultancies, stock ownership, equity interest, patent/licensing arrangement etc.) that might pose a conflict of interest in connection with the submitted article.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Effects of SCD and different modes of therapy on growth, puberty, and spermatogenesis
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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