This study will explore how people with sickle cell disease (SCD) develop a complication called pulmonary hypertension (PHTN), a serious disease in which blood pressure in the lungs is higher than normal. PHTN is also caused by HIV, hepatitis C and schistosomiasis. Patients who have both SCD and one of these other infections may develop more severe PHTN. The number of Nigerians with SCD who also have PHTN is not known, nor is the cause of PHTN in this population. This study will examine genetic material in people with and without SCD to determine whether certain genes will allow doctors to predict which patients with SCD are likely to develop PHTN. Nigerian males and females 10 years of age and older with or without SCD may be eligible for this study. Patients must have SS, SC, or SB thalassemia or other genotype; control subjects must have hemoglobin A or AS genotype. Participants undergo a complete medical history and physical examination, blood tests, electrocardiogram (EKG), ultrasound tests of the heart and abdomen, and a 6-minute walk (distance test) to determine exercise capacity. Blood tests include screening for HIV, hepatitis B and C, schistosomiasis, hookworm and malaria. Patients who test positive for HIV, hepatitis B or C, schistosomiasis, hookworm or malaria are referred for treatment at Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital in Zaria, Nigeria, and those who test negative for hepatitis B are referred for vaccination. Genetic tests focus on genes involved in SCD, PHTN, inflammation, blood vessel function and red blood cell function.
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.