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The Children's Hospital at Montefiore (CHAM) has established the New York metropolitan region's only comprehensive pediatric center for the treatment of sickle cell disease, a hereditary, often fatal blood disorder that strikes most often in African-American communities.
The new Comprehensive Pediatric Sickle Cell Center is led by Catherine Driscoll, MD, a nationally recognized sickle cell expert who returns to Montefiore from Children's National Medical Center in Washington, DC. Over the past decade, Dr. Driscoll has conducted extensive research, funded by the National Institutes of Health, on sickle cell disease and another blood disorder, thalassemia.
Experts estimate that one of every 400 African-American children and one of every 1,250 Hispanic-American children are born with sickle cell disease, in which the red blood cells, normally disc-shaped, become crescent-shaped. In many patients, the abnormal cells 'close off' blood vessels and give rise to recurrent, painful episodes called "sickle cell crises." The disease can also cause vulnerability to infections, organ damage, and, in some cases, early death.
"Sickle cell disease is a life-changing disorder," Dr. Driscoll said. "Sickle cell crises affect most organs in the body and eventually result in chronic organ damage leading to stroke, chronic lung or kidney disease."
"These painful crises can occur any time and can last from days to weeks. They are often severe enough to require hospitalization."
Dr. Driscoll said she came back to Montefiore because CHAM is one of the premier institutions in the US, and the only institution in the Greater New York region for the comprehensive care of children with sickle cell disease.
"At CHAM we have what it takes to find new ways to treat patients living with this disease and to help them experience less pain and enjoy a better overall quality of life," Dr. Driscoll said.
Dr. Driscoll is developing comprehensive programs at CHAM to treat pediatric thrombosis (blood clots) and family-centered treatment plans to help sickle cell patients and families deal with the disease while living healthier, more normal lives. The CHAM program also focuses on studying and treating susceptibility to stroke and pulmonary hypertension in children with sickle cell disease.
The team works closely with the Adult Bronx Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Montefiore, which for over a decade has been a national leader in research and treatment for adult patients with the disease.
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