March 3, 2026

Weather-Related Exposures and Emergency Department Visits for Pediatric Sickle Cell Complications

Key Points

Increased temperature is linked to higher emergency department visits for vaso-occlusive crises (VOC).
Humidity index and wet bulb globe temperature also influence these visits for pediatric sickle cell disease (SCD).
The study indicates a need for identifying environmental risk factors contributing to acute complications in SCD.
Findings stress the potential impact of climate change on sickle cell disease management and patient outcomes.

Abstract

Increased temperature, HI, and WBGT among high-risk pediatric patients with SCD were associated with increased odds of ED visit for VOC and decreased odds for ACS. As climate change progresses, further studies are needed to identify population, neighborhood, and patient-level environmental risk factors contributing to acute complications for patients with SCD.

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Cite This Study

González et al. (Thu,) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/69a75c06c6e9836116a2464f https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1097/pec.0000000000003561

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