Why choose Cook Children's Sickle Cell Program
Our trusted team sees hundreds of children with this condition every year. We know that successfully managing it takes more than medicine. It takes understanding, support and a team that's easily accessible ... all of which you'll find at Cook Children's.
What you can expect
We deliver treatments that ease your child's symptoms. Our goal is to help them feel more like themselves so they can focus on being a kid. When the disease is more severe or difficult to manage, we provide advanced options that offer additional hope for healing.
Our pediatric blood disorder doctors (hematologists) have specialized training in sickle cell disease and provide exceptional care to patients. Nurses support your child's care by teaching you how to manage pain, prevent infections and recognize serious symptoms. The team also includes social workers who help your family navigate practical matters.
We often use daily antibiotics to prevent common infections. Some children also take a medicine called hydroxyurea, which can decrease the number of sickled cells in the blood and reduce the number of pain episodes. We may also recommend gentle imaging, like transcranial Doppler. This scan checks blood flow in the brain, enabling us to act before problems like stroke can happen.
Living with sickle cell disease can be especially difficult when standard therapies aren't successful. Our team is proud to be part of groundbreaking research opening new doors for children and their families. We're entering the field of gene therapy for sickle cell disease to offer a new and promising therapy for children who don't have a donor for stem cell transplant.
Living with sickle cell disease can raise many questions about symptoms, medications or what to expect. You're not in it alone. Our nurses are easy to reach between visits, and if something comes up after hours, a pediatric hematologist is always just a call away.
Advancing sickle cell disease care
Every child's experience with sickle cell disease is different, and their care should be, too. We take time to understand your child's needs, including how they're feeling and what they're facing. Then, we create a plan that helps manage symptoms and supports a better day-to-day life.
Treatment and services may include:
Drugs may help reduce pain crises and complications. Options include hydroxyurea, which reduces the sickling of red blood cells. Crizanlizumab makes them less sticky.
This procedure delivers healthy red blood cells to your child's body to reduce stroke risk and pain episodes.
Children undergoing frequent blood transfusions receive this treatment. It removes excess iron from the body to prevent complications.
This procedure replaces sickle-shaped cells with healthy ones from a donor or by gene editing. Explore our Stem Cell Transplant Program.
Sickle cell disease complications can affect nearly any organ. That's why our extended team includes experts in eye care, lung disorders, hormone-related conditions and more.
We actively participate in research, giving your child access to innovative therapies. As part of the American Society of Hematology's Sickle Cell Disease Research Network, we help advance research and improve outcomes. We've been part of pioneering industry studies, including ones for gene editing. This treatment could help patients who haven't responded well to standard therapies and don't have a donor for stem cell transplant.
Moments of magic
Hope and healing happen every day here at Cook Children's. Discover some of our highlights.
