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Health News Results - 29
COVID Can Threaten Sickle Cell Patients, But Too Few Are Vaccinated
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- January 12, 2024
- Full Page
Sickle cell disease is one of many chronic health conditions that dramatically increases the risk of hospitalization and death in people infected by COVID-19.
Unfortunately, folks with sickle cell disease are much less likely to have received the best protection availabl...
FDA Approves Landmark Sickle Cell Gene Therapies
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- December 8, 2023
- Full Page
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Friday approved two milestone gene therapies for sickle cell disease, including the first treatment ever approved that uses gene-editing technology.
Casgevy, developed by Vertex Pharmaceuticals of Boston and CRISPR Therapeutics of...
Gene-Tweaked Stem Cells Offer Hope Against Sickle Cell Disease
- Amy Norton HealthDay Reporter
- August 31, 2023
- Full Page
A type of gene therapy that precisely "edits" a key bit of DNA might offer a new way to treat sickle cell disease -- a painful inherited condition that largely strikes Black children and adults.
More Evidence Gene Therapy Might Cure Sickle Cell Disease
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- June 12, 2023
- Full Page
A clinical trial that's attempting to discover a cure for sickle cell disease has found a new gene therapy to be safe and successful in four patients.
Two of the patients were treated at Cleveland Clinic Children's in Ohio, and doctors there are hopeful that their positi...
Sickle Cell Gene Therapy Can Cure, But Costs Almost $3 Million. Who Will Pay?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- May 31, 2023
- Full Page
An exceptionally pricey gene therapy cure for sickle cell disease could soon be available, but it's not clear whether insurance companies will balk at the cost and deny coverage.
On the surface, the gene therapy does not appear as cost-effective as the grinding medical c...
Knee Replacement More Challenging in People With Sickle Cell
- Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- April 19, 2023
- Full Page
While joint reconstruction surgeries are fairly common, they may be anything but routine for people with sickle cell disease.
Patients with the blood disorder who undergo total knee replacement are at a higher risk for complications than other patients, according to a ne...
Too Few Kids With Sickle Cell Anemia Get Screened for Stroke Risk
- By Denise Mann HealthDay Reporter
- September 21, 2022
- Full Page
Too few children with sickle cell anemia are getting the recommended screening tests for stroke, a common complication of this disease, a new government report finds.
W...
Could High-Dose Folic Acid Raise COVID Risks?
- By Sydney Murphy HealthDay Reporter
- September 6, 2022
- Full Page
Folic acid, a B vitamin that's used widely to fortify foods and lower the risk of birth defects, may carry a hidden risk for those who have to take huge quantities of it: A new study shows those folks were more likely to get COVID-19 and to die from it.
“We examined wh...
More Diverse Pool of Blood Donors Needed to Help Sickle Cell Patients
- By Cara Murez HealthDay Reporter
- September 6, 2022
- Full Page
A network that receives and supplies blood for transfusions nationwide is calling for more diverse blood donors.
Less than 20% of blood donations are from people of color, but those donations are essential. Frequently transfused patients often require blood from donors w...
The High Cost of Living With Sickle Cell Disease
- By Robert Preidt HealthDay Reporter
- May 23, 2022
- Full Page
Americans with sickle cell disease who have private insurance face average out-of-pocket costs of $1,300 a year and a lifetime total of $44,000, new research reveals.
That means that their out-of-pocket expenses are nearly four times higher compared to people without the...
Prescription Steroids Can Pose Dangers for Sickle Cell Patients
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- April 27, 2022
- Full Page
People with sickle cell disease who take corticosteroids to treat asthma or inflammation may suffer severe pain and even need to be hospitalized, researchers report.
This reaction to corticosteroids can be particularly severe among older people, women and patients not ta...
Could Gene Therapy Help Cure Sickle Cell Disease?
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- December 13, 2021
- Full Page
A gene therapy that could provide a permanent cure for sickle cell disease continues to show success through a third wave of patients, researchers report.
The therapy, LentiGlobin, restored normal blood function in 35 sickle cell patients who had the one-time procedure, ...
Drug Might Stop Heart Trouble Linked to Sickle Cell Anemia
- Steven Reinberg HealthDay Reporter
- September 17, 2021
- Full Page
Treating sickle cell anemia with the drug hydroxyurea may also reverse related heart abnormalities, a new study suggests.
Heart issues are common among people with sickle cell disease. Among them are enlargement of the heart and an impaired ability to relax heart muscles...
Certain Sickle Cell Disease Traits Can Raise Odds for Severe COVID
- Cara Murez
- July 6, 2021
- Full Page
People with sickle cell disease who have a history of severe pain episodes and coexisting organ conditions have an increased risk for severe COVID-19 illness, a new study suggests.
"This study tells us that all individuals with sickle cell disease are not at equal levels...
Sickle Cell Plagues Many Black Americans, But There's Hope for Better Treatments
- Dennis Thompson HealthDay Reporter
- June 18, 2021
- Full Page
It's been more than six months since Brandy Compton last landed in a hospital emergency room.
That's an amazing medical achievement, brought about by scientific breakthroughs that have been unfortunately overshadowed by the coronavirus pandemic, experts say.
Compt...
Gene Editing Technique Corrects Sickle Cell Disease in Mice
- Cara Murez
- June 10, 2021
- Full Page
Researchers are using mice to study a potential new treatment that could help patients who have sickle cell disease, without some of the risks and side effects of existing therapies.
The investigators reported using genetic-based editing on mice to convert a disease-cau...
Patients With Sickle Cell Disease Often Overlooked for Life-Saving Kidney Transplants
- Robert Preidt
- March 3, 2021
- Full Page
People with kidney failure related to sickle cell disease are less likely to receive a transplant than those without sickle cell disease, but it could be life-saving for them, a new study finds.
Sickle cell disease is a risk factor for kidney failure, and adults with sic...
Sickle Cell Puts Black Patients at Higher Risk for Severe COVID
- Dennis Thompson
- December 15, 2020
- Full Page
Sickle cell disease increases the risk of death or serious complications from COVID-19 infection, a pair of new studies suggests.
People with sickle cell disease -- a genetic blood disorder predominantly found in Black people -- are 6.2 times more likely to die from COVI...
Could Gene Therapy Cure Sickle Cell Disease? Two New Studies Raise Hopes
- Ernie Mundell
- December 5, 2020
- Full Page
A pair of new gene therapies promise a potentially lasting cure for sickle cell disease by subtly altering the genetic information in patients' bone marrow cells, researchers report.
Both therapies work by switching on a gene that promotes production of fetal hemogl...
What People With Sickle Cell Disease Need to Know About COVID-19
- Robert Preidt
- July 13, 2020
- Full Page
People with sickle cell disease are at increased risk for severe complications from COVID-19, an expert says.
"Many patients experience a pain crisis, also known as a vaso-occlusive crisis, early in COVID-19 infection before respiratory symptoms develop," said Dr. Je...
Time to Rethink Ideas About Exercise, Sickle Cell Disease?
- Robert Preidt
- November 19, 2019
- Full Page
Mild exercise is safe and beneficial for people with sickle cell disease, contrary to traditional beliefs, a new study finds.
Sickle cell disease affects blood flow in the body. Because strenuous exercise boosts blood flow, it can lead to heart problems and severe pa...
August Is Deadliest Month for Young Football Players
- Steven Reinberg
- August 12, 2019
- Full Page
It is an annual rite of summer: sending young men out on football fields across America in the sweltering August heat for grueling practice sessions designed to prepare them for the coming season.
But a new study shows the ritual can be costly if players are pushed t...
New Moms Can Save a Life By Donating Cord Blood
- Robert Preidt
- August 5, 2019
- Full Page
Pregnant women should keep in mind that donating their umbilical cord blood could save lives, a clinical cell therapy expert says.
Cord blood is the blood collected from the umbilical cord and placenta after the birth of a healthy baby, said Fabio Triolo. He is direc...
Experimental Drug Shows Early Promise Against Sickle Cell Disease
- Robert Preidt
- June 19, 2019
- Full Page
An experimental drug for sickle cell disease reduced anemia and boosted the health of red blood cells in patients, according to a new study.
Whether the drug, voxelotor, will have long-term health benefits to patients remains to be seen.
But if approved for...
Insurers' Denials of Opioid Coverage Spurs CDC to Clarify Guidelines
- Amy Norton
- April 9, 2019
- Full Page
People with severe pain from cancer or sickle cell anemia should not be denied coverage for opioid painkillers, a new clarification on federal guidelines states.
In the wake of the national opioid epidemic, various medical societies had encouraged doctors to rein in ...
Baby Monkey May Offer Hope to Preserving Fertility of Kids With Cancer
- Amy Norton
- March 21, 2019
- Full Page
She's cute, and perhaps a medical breakthrough.
Scientists say they have used frozen testicular tissue to achieve the birth of a healthy baby monkey named Grady -- a success they hope to eventually translate to childhood cancer survivors whose treatment has left them...