Risk Factors of Pulmonary Hypertension in Brazilian Patients with Sickle Cell Anemia

Cardiopulmonary changes in patients with sickle cell anemia: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Given the high prevalence of cardiovascular and pulmonary abnormalities associated with sickle cell anemia (SCA), the clinical impact caused in addition to compromising the quality of life of patients and the overcharge that it represents to the public health system, this study systematized and evaluated scientific publications on pulmonary complications and cardiovascular diseases in sickle cell patients from 1920 to 2020. This compilation aims to provide knowledge for health professionals and managers in order to draw attention to the importance of chronic diseases in SCA patients and in addition to providing elements that provide improvements in management of useful resources that contribute to improve the quality and increase the life expectancy of these patients.

AIM

To systematically compile information about cardiopulmonary changes in patients with SCA.

METHODS

A systematic literature review was performed based on the PRISMA recom-mendation including scientific articles indexed in the Scientific Electronic Library Online databases of the United States National Library of Medicine and Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde. The search period was delimited between 1990 and 2020 and selected in Portuguese, English and Spanish. Three sets of descriptors were used for each database including research carried out with human beings. After reading the articles, those useful for this review were extracted using a collection instrument designed for this purpose.

RESULTS

The final selection included 27 studies. The year with the highest number of publications was 2016 with 5 studies (18.51%), followed by 2017 with 4 (14.81%). The type of study most carried out in the period was cohort 10 (37.03%) followed by cross-sectional and case-control with 8 studies in each (29.62%). Regarding the language of publication, the distribution was as follows: 25 (92.59%) in English, 1 (3.70%) in Spanish and 1 (3.70%) in Portuguese.

CONCLUSION

The findings of the present study suggest that cardiopulmonary alterations represent a serious clinical repercussion of SCA. Of the analyzed studies, the high occurrence of pulmonary hypertension, ventricular hypertrophy and diastolic dysfunction stands out as the main cardiopulmonary complications. In view of the increased survival in SCA, there is a need for surveillance and the development of strategies aimed at preserving the cardiopulmonary function and consequently improving the quality of life of these patients.

Low hemoglobin increases risk for cerebrovascular disease, kidney disease, pulmonary vasculopathy, and mortality in sickle cell disease: A systematic literature review and meta-analysis

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is characterized by deoxygenation-induced polymerization of hemoglobin in red blood cells, leading to hemolytic anemia, vaso-occlusion, and the development of multiple clinical complications. To characterize the clinical burden associated with differences in hemoglobin concentration and hemolysis measures, a systematic literature review of MEDLINE, EMBASE, and related meta-analyses was undertaken. For quantitative analyses related to hemoglobin concentration, pooled results were analyzed using random effects models to control for within-and between-study variability. To derive risk ratios associated with hemoglobin concentration change, we combined ratios of means from select studies, which reported hazard and odds ratios in meta-analyses for hemoglobin concentration-related outcomes and changes between groups. Forty-one studies were identified for inclusion based on relating hemoglobin concentration to clinical outcomes. Meta-analyses demonstrated that mean hemoglobin concentration was significantly lower in patients with cerebrovascular disease (0.4 g/dL), increased transcranial Doppler velocity in cerebral arteries (0.6 g/dL), albuminuria (0.6 g/dL), elevated estimated pulmonary artery systolic pressure (0.9 g/dL), and in patients that subsequently died (0.6 g/dL). In a risk reduction meta-analysis, modeled increased hemoglobin concentrations of 1 g/dL or greater resulted in decreased risk of negative clinical outcomes of 41% to 64%. In conclusion, chronic anemia is associated with worse clinical outcomes in individuals with SCD and even modest increases in hemoglobin concentration may be beneficial in this patient population. This systematic review has been registered on Prospero (Registration number CRD42018096860; https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/).

American Society of Hematology 2019 guidelines for sickle cell disease: cardiopulmonary and kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Prevention and management of end-organ disease represent major challenges facing providers of children and adults with sickle cell disease (SCD). Uncertainty and variability in the screening, diagnosis, and management of cardiopulmonary and renal complications in SCD lead to varying outcomes for affected individuals.

OBJECTIVE

These evidence-based guidelines of the American Society of Hematology (ASH) are intended to support patients, clinicians, and other health care professionals in their decisions about screening, diagnosis, and management of cardiopulmonary and renal complications of SCD.

METHODS

ASH formed a multidisciplinary guideline panel that included 2 patient representatives and was balanced to minimize potential bias from conflicts of interest. The Mayo Evidence-Based Practice Research Program supported the guideline development process, including performing systematic evidence reviews up to September 2017. The panel prioritized clinical questions and outcomes according to their importance for clinicians and patients. The panel used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, including GRADE evidence-to-decision frameworks, to assess evidence and make recommendations, which were subject to public comment.

RESULTS

The panel agreed on 10 recommendations for screening, diagnosis, and management of cardiopulmonary and renal complications of SCD. Recommendations related to anticoagulation duration for adults with SCD and venous thromboembolism were also developed.

CONCLUSIONS

Most recommendations were conditional due to a paucity of direct, high-quality evidence for outcomes of interest. Future research was identified, including the need for prospective studies to better understand the natural history of cardiopulmonary and renal disease, their relationship to patient-important outcomes, and optimal management.

Application of survival tree analysis for exploration of potential interactions between predictors of incident chronic kidney disease: a 15-year follow-up study

Background

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a growing public health challenges worldwide. Various studies have investigated risk factors of incident CKD; however, a very few studies examined interaction between these risk factors. In an attempt to clarify the potential interactions between risk factors of CKD, we performed survival tree analysis.

Methods

A total of 8238 participants (46.1% men) aged > 20 years without CKD at baseline [(1999–2001) and (2002–2005)], were followed until 2014. The first occurrence of CKD, defined as the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) < 60 ml/min/1.73 m², was set as the main outcome. Multivariable Cox proportional hazard (Cox PH) regression was used to identify significant independent predictors of CKD; moreover, survival tree analysis was performed to gain further insight into the potential interactions between predictors.

Results

The crude incidence rates of CKD were 20.2 and 35.2 per 1000 person-years in men and women, respectively. The Cox PH identified the main effect of significant predictors of CKD incidence in men and women. In addition, using a limited number of predictors, survival trees identified 12 and 10 subgroups among men and women, respectively, with different survival probability. Accordingly, a group of men with eGFR > 74 ml/min/1.73 m², age ≤ 46 years, low level of physical activity, waist circumference ≤ 100 cm and FPG ≤ 4.7 mmol/l had the lowest risk of CKD incidence; while men with eGFR ≤ 63.4 ml/min/1.73 m², age > 50 years had the highest risk for CKD compared to men in the lowest risk group [hazard ratio (HR), 70.68 (34.57–144.52)]. Also, a group of women aged ≤ 45 years and eGFR > 83.5 ml/min/1.73 m² had the lowest risk; while women with age > 48 years and eGFR ≤ 69 ml/min/1.73 m² had the highest risk compared to low risk group [HR 27.25 (19.88–37.34)].

Conclusion

In this post hoc analysis, we found the independent predictors of CKD using Cox PH; furthermore, by applying survival tree analysis we identified several numbers of homogeneous subgroups with different risk for incidence of CKD. Our study suggests that two methods can be used simultaneously to provide new insights for intervention programs and improve clinical decision making.