Demographic and Socio-Economic Features of a Cohort of Adult Sickle Cell Disease Patients.

Despite improvements in diagnosis, preventive care and treatment, care of sickle cell disease (SCD) patients remains difficult. The majority are from lower socio-economic strata, poorly educated and from single parent households. The racial divide between patients (who tend to be almost all black) and their health care providers (who tend to be predominantly non black) can adversely affect the quality of care when stereotypes are assumed. We examined the demographic and socio-economic features of patients in our adult sickle cell disease program.

We retrospectively reviewed data on 118 patients that entered our program between February 2005 and October 2008. Our catchment area included parts of rural Mississippi, Tennessee and Arkansas as well as a major urban community. We reviewed the following demographic characteristics: age, gender, patient's marital status, parent's marital status, employment status, highest level of education, health insurance status and referral source. We then contrasted the characteristics of those with SC (which tends to be milder) with SS/Sβ⁰ sickle cell disease (which is phenotypically more severe). Continuous variables were evaluated using t-test. Chi-square test was used to assess categorical variables.

The results are depicted in the table.

We describe the demographic and socio-economic features of a cohort of 118 patients seen in an academic center with a diverse catchment area. In spite of adverse family circumstances, relatively high proportion of the cohort was college educated (32%) or graduated from high school/GED (55%). 61% of the patients are either currently employed or current students. These results are quite contrasting to the general perception about the adult sickle cell disease population.

No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.