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Sickle Cell Disease
The Division is the seat of the Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center, one
of 10 such Centers sponsored by the National Institutes of Health in the
USA. In cooperation with St.Luke's/Roosevelt, Harlem Hospital and Mount
Sinai Hospital, we provide care to over 1000 patients. We have a group
of professionals dedicated to these patients at each Hospital. We have
the largest program of prenatal diagnosis of sickle cell diseases in the
world (over 1000 to date, with no errors).
Studies from our group have identified methods for early diagnosis of strokes
(a frequent and devastating consequence of sickle cell diseases) and methods
to identify children at greatest risk of stroke, to prevent it. Researchers
in the Center are working to develop "genetic engineering" that will soon
lead to gene therapy to eliminate these disorders.
Children
on chronic transfusion with iron overload
We provide careful and baseline constant transfusion regimens,
together with chelation therapy, including new and experimental drugs for
children with thalassemia (Mediterranean Anemia) and other hematological
diseases that require chronic transfusion. We will shortly add the "SQUID",
the only instrument of this kind in the USA, that allows measurement of
iron overload in the liver, without need for an invasive biopsy.
Childhood
Lead Poisoning
We provide detection and management of lead poisoning for all children under the age of 6 years, who are seen at our hospital and at the network of clinical sites in our neighborhood. We test every year over 6000 children. We are one of the few centers in New York that provide ambulatory treatment.
Work from our group has produced, the removal of lead from gasoline that has resulted in a 20-fold reduction in the number of cases of childhood lead poisoning in the USA; the development of oral drugs to hasten the excretion of lead, replacing the need for intravenous therapy; the development of the erythrocyte porphyrin test (EP) that has been used to screen millions of children for severe lead poisoning and iron deficiency. We are working in concert with the office of the Borough President of Manhattan's to develop near our Hospital a lead-free "safe house" for children with lead poisoning, while lead free housing is provided.
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