Table 3.
Summary of study outcomes for hydroxyurea use in adults and children.
| Outcome | Impact in adults | Impact in adolescents |
|---|---|---|
| Clinical outcomes | ||
| Pain crises | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓ |
| Hospitalisations | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ |
| Blood transfusion therapy | ↓↓↓ | ↔ (insufficient data) |
| Acute chest syndrome | ↓↓↓ | ↔ (insufficient data) |
| Laboratory markers | ||
| Foetal haemoglobin | ↑↑↑ | ↑↑↑ |
| Haemoglobin | ↑↑↑ | ↔ (not significantly significant) |
| Mean corpuscular haemoglobin | ↑↑↑ | ↑↑↑ |
| White blood cell count | ↓↓↓ | ↓↓↓ |
| Prevention of end organ damage | ||
| Brain | ↔ | ↔ |
| Spleen | ↔ | ↔ |
| Kidney | ↔ | ↔ |
| Mortality | ↓ | ↔= |
↓↓↓: high-grade evidence for decrease; ↓: low-grade evidence for a decrease; ↑↑↑: high-grade evidence for increase; ↑: low-grade evidence for an increase; ↔: not evaluated/not significantly different/insufficient data. Source [152].