TABLE 1.
Patient characteristics by Distressed Community Index (DCI) score grouped by tertile
| Low score (DCI < 73; n = 110) | Middle score (DCI 73 – 95; n = 113) | High score (DCI > 95; n = 109) | p‐Value | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Age (years) | 31 (26–43) | 30 (24–39) | 31 (24–42) | 0.4 |
| Females | 43% : 57% | 45% : 55% | 49% : 51% | 0.4 |
| African American (%) | 106 (96%) | 112 (99%) | 109 (100%) | 0.027 |
| Insurance Type | 0.006 | |||
| Private | 39 (35.5%) | 22 (19.5%) | 20 (18.3%) | |
| Medicare | 29 (26.4%) | 32 (28.3%) | 24 (22%) | |
| Medicaid | 42 (38.1%) | 59 (52.2%) | 65 (59.6%) | |
| Hydroxyurea (%) | 52 (47%) | 54 (48%) | 69 (63%) | 0.018 |
| Tobacco use (%) | 19 (17%) | 21 (19%) | 35 (32%) | 0.009 |
| Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) | 118 (112–128) | 120 (111–128) | 118 (110–128) | 0.5 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 23 (21–26) | 23 (21–27) | 23 (21–26) | 0.3 |
| WBC count (x 10[3]/μL) | 9.9 (7.8–12.3) | 10 (7.9–12.4) | 10.8 (8.1–12.2) | 0.2 |
| Hemoglobin (g/dL) | 8.9 (8.1–9.8) | 8.8 (7.9–9.6) | 8.8 (7.7–9.6) | 0.4 |
| Platelet count (x 10[3]/μL) | 393 (295–503) | 408 (310–508) | 417 (313– 497) | 0.4 |
| Absolute reticulocyte count (x 10[3]/μL) | 304 (224–426) | 310 (224–447) | 325 (214–400) | 0.6 |
| Hemoglobin F (%) | 5.6 (2.8–9.7) | 6.2 (2.8–9.9) | 5.7 (2.7–9.9) | 0.8 |
| LDH (u/L) | 355 (255 – 454) | 342 (266–432) | 366 (282–482) | 0.4 |
| Ferritin | 419 (121–1068) | 497 (214–1396) | 656 (204–1730) | 0.01 |
| ALT (u/L) | 23 (18–34) | 23 (16–33) | 24 (17–31) | 0.7 |
| Serum albumin (g/dL) | 4.1 (3.8–4.3) | 4.1 (3.8–4.3) | 4.0 (3.8– 4.3) | 0.1 |
| Vitamin D 25‐OH (ng/mL) | 15 (10–23) | 13 (8–18) | 12 (8–17) | 0.004 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73m2) | 121 (102–129) | 124 (106–132) | 122 (97–132) | 0.8 |
| Urine albumin (mg/g creatinine) | 41 (11–210) | 34 (10–185) | 41 (15–142) | 0.7 |
| VOE frequency (per year) | 2 (1–6) | 2 (0–5) | 2 (1–4) | 0.8 |
| Acute chest syndrome history | 69 (63%) | 68 (60%) | 62 (57%) | 0.5 |
| Stroke history | 23 (21%) | 31 (27%) | 23 (21%) | 0.9 |
Abbreviations: ALT, alanine transaminase; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; LDH, lactate dehydrogenase; VOE, vaso‐occlusive pain episodes; WBC, white blood cell count.