Coronavirus Disease among Persons with Sickle Cell Disease, United States, March 20–May 21, 2020
Julie A. Panepinto, Amanda M. Brandow, Lana Mucalo, Fouza Yusuf, Ashima Singh, Bradley Taylor, Katherine Woods, Amanda B. Payne, Georgina Peacock, Laura A. Schieve
Abstract
S ickle cell disease (SCD), an inherited hemoglo- binopathy that most commonly affects persons of African ancestry, is estimated to affect 1 in 365 Black persons in the United States (1). Persons with SCD produce abnormal hemoglobin that causes erythrocytes to become rigid and deform under low oxygen conditions, leading to ischemia-reperfusion injury in the microvasculature with subsequent organ damage and pain. SCD affects nearly every organ system; average life expectancy estimates of affected persons are 43-54 years (2,3). Persons with SCD are at increased risk for pulmonary disease and pneumonia.