Table 2. Disease characteristics.
| Characteristic | Females (N = 1190) | Males (N = 934) | P-value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sickle cell genotype, N (%) | |||
| Hb SS | 805 (67.7) | 642 (68.7) | 0.4 |
| Hb SC | 255 (21.4) | 194 (20.8) | |
| Hb S beta+ thalassemia | 75 (6.3) | 45 (4.8) | |
| Hb S beta0 thalassemia | 40 (3.4) | 43 (4.6) | |
| Other variants | 14 (1.2) | 10 (1.1) | |
| Hydroxyurea use, N (%) | |||
| Currently using | 519 (44.6) | 511 (55.4) | <0.0001 |
| Opioid Use, N (%) | |||
| Currently using opioids | 957 (80.4) | 737 (78.9) | 0.4 |
| Number of vaso-occlusive episodes in the past year, N (%) | |||
| 0 | 140 (11.8) | 139 (15.0) | 0.01 |
| 1 | 109 (9.2) | 109 (11.7) | |
| 2 | 151 (12.7) | 134 (14.4) | |
| 3 | 196 (16.5) | 147 (15.8) | |
| 4 or more | 590 (49.7) | 400 (43.1) | |
| Time since most recent vaso-occlusive episode, N (%) | |||
| Currently having one | 150 (12.6) | 108 (11.6) | 0.1 |
| <1 week ago | 204 (17.2) | 127 (13.6) | |
| 1–3 weeks ago | 255 (21.5) | 189 (20.3) | |
| 1–6 months ago | 319 (26.9) | 257 (27.6) | |
| 7–11 months ago | 73 (6.2) | 63 (6.8) | |
| 1–5 years ago | 119 (10.0) | 120 (12.9) | |
| 5+ years ago | 47 (4.0) | 46 (4.9) | |
| Never had a pain attack | 19 (1.6) | 21(2.3) | |
| ASCQ-Me Pain Episode frequency T-score, mean (SD) | 49.2 (11.1) | 47.4 (11.7) | 0.0002 |
| ASCQ-Me Pain Episode severity T-score, mean (SD) | 51.6 (9.6) | 49.3(10) | <0.001 |
| Prior History of Blood Transfusion, N (%) | 1195 (64.0) | 672 (65.4) | 0.2 |
| Number of hospital admissions in the past year, N (%) | |||
| 0 | 344 (35.0) | 318 (41.6) | 0.03 |
| 1 | 215 (21.9) | 172 (22.5) | |
| 2 | 120 (12.2) | 80 (10.5) | |
| 3 | 84 (8.6) | 50 (6.5) | |
| 4+ | 219 (22.3) | 145 (19.0) | |
| Specialists involved in care, N (%) | |||
| PCP only | 26 (2.2) | 8 (0.9) | 0.049 |
| Hematologist only | 700 (59.4) | 579 (62.9) | |
| Co-management (PCP & Hematologist) | 442 (37.5) | 329 (35.7) | |
| Other | 10 (0.8) | 5 (0.5) | |
| Sickle cell disease related complications, N (%) | |||
| Acute chest syndrome | 658 (55.4) | 581 (62.3) | 0.001 |
| Asthma | 319 (26.9) | 253 (27.1) | 0.9 |
| Digestivea | 729 (61.3) | 544 (58.4) | 0.1 |
| Musculoskeletalb | 351 (29.5) | 332 (35.6) | 0.003 |
| Autoimmune/Inflammatoryc | 228 (19.6) | 141 (15.5) | 0.01 |
| Central nervous systemd | 200 (16.8) | 162 (17.3) | 0.7 |
| Genitourinarye | 84 (7.1) | 304 (32.6) | <0.001 |
| Cardiovascularf | 138 (11.6) | 160 (17.1) | 0.0003 |
| Multi-organ failure | 62 (5.2) | 49 (5.2) | 0.9 |
| Pneumococcal sepsis | 40 (3.4) | 47 (5.0) | 0.06 |
| Skin ulcers | 33 (2.8) | 54 (5.8) | 0.0005 |
| Retinopathy | 165 (13.9) | 145 (15.5) | 0.3 |
| Diabetes mellitus | 28 (2.4) | 20 (2.1) | 0.7 |
| Iron overload | 308 (25.9) | 226 (24.2) | 0.4 |
| Chronic refractory pain | 263 (22.1) | 184 (19.7) | 0.2 |
| Anxiety | 174 (14.6) | 104 (11.1) | 0.02 |
| Depression | 259 (21.8) | 154 (16.5) | 0.002 |
| Cancer | 4 (0.3) | 4 (0.4) | 0.7 |
Missing values were not included in the comparison. The p-values reported represent strength of associations between variables.
aDigestive complications: splenomegaly, splenic sequestration, splenic infarcts, hypersplenism, autosplenectomy, gallstones and cholecystitis.
bMusculoskeletal complications: dactylitis, avascular necrosis and osteomyelitis.
cAutoimmune/Inflammatory complications: deep venous thrombosis, lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and sarcoidosis.
dCentral nervous system complications: stroke and intracranial bleeding.
eGenitourinary complications: priapism, chronic kidney disease and end stage renal failure.
fCardiovascular complications: pulmonary arterial hypertension and left ventricular dysfunction.