Researchers have found that blood is not properly distributed in the brains of sickle cell disease patients despite once thinking that the issue was a reduction in total oxygen to the brain. The finding could explain why sickle cell disease patients continue to suffer from silent strokes.
Using a specialized magnetic resonance imaging technique, the researchers saw that oxygen delivery to the brain was unchanged. But, oxygen delivery to the white matter—the part of the brain that neurons use to transmit information—was reduced by 35% in patients with sickle cell disease. A majority of silent strokes occur in the white matter regions in these patients, and can destroy the brain’s ability to execute complex tasks needed for job related tasks.
The study sheds light on anemia overall, but also how the medical community can uses an advanced imaging technique to assess current and future treatments for sickle cell disease. The study appeared in the American Journal for Hematology. It was supported by NHLBI and the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences.