@article{dee6c0b264b24e3484e189deeb87af7c,
title = "Higher executive abilities following a blood transfusion in children and young adults with sickle cell disease",
abstract = "Individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience cognitive deficits; however, it remains unclear whether medical treatments for SCD improve cognition. Given that executive abilities are typically impaired in individuals with SCD, they were the focus of the current study. Our primary hypothesis was that executive abilities would be higher acutely soon after a blood transfusion in children and young adults with SCD. We used tests from the NIH Toolbox to assess executive abilities in 27 participants with SCD receiving chronic transfusion in comparison to 34 participants with SCD receiving hydroxyurea (HU) and 41 non-SCD demographically matched controls, all of whom were tested at two time points. Participants in the transfusion group completed cognitive testing within 3 days after a transfusion (soon after transfusion) and then within 3 days before their next transfusion (long after transfusion) over an interval of 3-7 weeks. We found that executive abilities were significantly poorer for the transfusion and HU groups than for the control group. In support of our primary hypothesis, executive abilities for the transfusion group were significantly better soon after a transfusion compared to long after a transfusion, χ2(1) = 17.8, P <.0001. Our results demonstrate that executive abilities were higher acutely following a blood transfusion. These findings have implications for daily functioning, medical decision making, and academic achievement in children and young adults with SCD.",
keywords = "cognition, executive abilities, hemoglobin, hydroxyurea, sickle cell disease, transfusion",
author = "Hood, {Anna M.} and King, {Allison A.} and Fields, {Melanie E.} and Ford, {Andria L.} and Guilliams, {Kristin P.} and Hulbert, {Monica L.} and Lee, {Jin Moo} and White, {Desiree A.}",
note = "Funding Information: informationThis research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (1F31HL134314, K23HL136904, K23NS099472, R01HL129241, and 1U01HL133994) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institutes of Health) under award number U54 HD087011.We would like to thank the participants and families who participated in our research for their contributions. We would like to acknowledge Maggie Clapp, Amanda Namchuk, and Neeti Shenoy for their contributions to data collection and study management, as well as the physicians and staff of St. Louis Children's Hospital who generously contributed to the study through recruitment. This work is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Ph.D. This research was supported in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (1F31HL134314, K23HL136904, K23NS099472, R01HL129241, and 1U01HL133994). Research was also supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U54 HD087011 to the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center at Washington University. Anna M. Hood and Desiree A. White designed the experiment, analyzed and interpreted data, and prepared the manuscript. Allison A. King designed the experiment, interpreted data, and prepared the manuscript. Melanie E. Fields, Andria L. Ford, Kristin P. Guilliams, Monica L. Hulbert, and Jin-Moo Lee designed the experiment and interpreted data. All authors critically reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript. The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request. Funding Information: We would like to thank the participants and families who participated in our research for their contributions. We would like to acknowledge Maggie Clapp, Amanda Namchuk, and Neeti Shenoy for their contributions to data collection and study management, as well as the physicians and staff of St. Louis Children{\textquoteright}s Hospital who generously contributed to the study through recruitment. This work is submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the Ph.D. This research was supported in part by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (1F31HL134314, K23HL136904, K23NS099472, R01HL129241, and 1U01HL133994). Research was also supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number U54 HD087011 to the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center at Washington University. Funding Information: This research was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Insti tute (1F31HL134314, K23HL136904, K23NS099472, R01HL129241, and 1U01HL133994) and the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (National Institutes of Health) under award number U54 HD087011. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.",
year = "2019",
doi = "10.1002/pbc.27899",
language = "English",
volume = "66",
journal = "Pediatric Blood and Cancer",
issn = "1545-5009",
number = "10",
}