Active clinical trials for "Anemia, Sickle Cell"

This Phase 2a, multicenter, open-label, dose-escalation study is designed to assess the safety and biologic activity of daily oral administration of 4 escalating doses of sapropterin dihydrochloride over 16 weeks in subjects with sickle cell disease. During an optional extension phase, the study will assess the safety, tolerability, and efficacy of extended treatment with sapropterin dihydrochloride, for a total of up to 2 years; The extension phase of this study was terminated.

This study will examine the use of hydroxyurea and erythropoietin for treating sickle cell disease in patients who also have kidney disease or pulmonary hypertension (high blood pressure in the lungs). Hydroxyurea increases production of fetal hemoglobin in the red blood cells of patients with sickle cell disease, reducing the amount of sickle cells that cause pain and other complications requiring hospitalizations. However, hydroxyurea treatment has limitations: patients with sickle cell disease who have developed kidney disease may not be able to get the full benefit of the medicine, and hydroxyurea alone may not be able to treat life-threatening complications such as pulmonary hypertension or stroke. This study will determine which of two dosing schedules of hydroxyurea and erythropoietin is more effective for treating patients with sickle cell disease who also have kidney disease or pulmonary hypertension, and will examine whether the two drugs can lower blood pressure in the lungs. Patients 18 years of age and older with sickle cell anemia and kidney disease or pulmonary hypertension, or both, may be eligible for this study. Candidates are screened with a medical history, physical examination, blood tests, a 6-minute walk test (test to see how far the subject can walk in 6 minutes), and echocardiogram (ultrasound of the heart to measure blood pressure in the lungs). Participants undergo the following tests and procedures: Stabilization Phase: Patients take 2 hydroxyurea tablets a day until their fetal hemoglobin levels stabilize, usually over 2 to 4 months. They have blood tests every 2 weeks to monitor hemoglobin and fetal hemoglobin levels. At some time during this period, they undergo a test to measure kidney function, in which they are injected with an iodine-containing dye and wear a small pump for 1 day that injects a small amount of dye under the skin over 24 hours. They come to the clinic for 2 or 3 blood tests collected over 4 hours. Sequence I (Standard): When the fetal hemoglobin levels have been stable for 2 months, patients have a repeat echocardiogram and 6-minute walk test. Erythropoietin is then added to the hydroxyurea regimen. It is given 3 days a week, as an injection under the skin, along with iron supplements. Patients have blood tests and blood pressure measurements every week or every other week. Patients with pulmonary hypertension have another echocardiogram and 6-minute walk test once the hemoglobin level is stable. Sequence II (Cycled): When hemoglobin levels have stabilized with hydroxyurea once a day and erythropoietin 3 times a week, the hydroxyurea is adjusted so that the amount taken in 7 days is "cycled" over 4 days, and the erythropoietin is cycled over 3 days, with the dose increased twice, every 3 to 4 weeks. Blood pressure and hemoglobin are monitored once or twice a month. Patients with pulmonary hypertension have another echocardiogram and 6-minute walk test once the hemoglobin level is stable. Patients who develop complications while taking the drugs have their treatment regimens adjusted as needed.

The objective of the study is to monitor the safety (adverse event data) of longer-term use of ACTIQ (Oral Transmucosal Fentanyl Citrate [OTFC]) treatment in children with pain associated with cancer, sickle cell disease, or severe burns and breakthrough pain (BTP) who are receiving around the clock (ATC) opioid therapy.

This study will examine whether hypnosis can reduce the frequency and intensity of pain in patients with sickle cell disease. Patients 18 years of age and older with sickle cell disease and a history of pain associated with their disease may be eligible for this study. Participants are interviewed to assess their frequency and intensity of pain, sleep quality, coping strategies, mood and anxiety and are then randomly assigned to study Group A or B (see below). All participants are given pain diaries to complete at home and turn in at each clinic visit. They undergo the following procedures: Group A Weeks 1-4: Receive weekly 60-minute hypnosis sessions, in which they are given suggestions for relieving pain, reducing anxiety, improving sleep and enhancing their health and well-being. The sessions are audio- and videotaped. Week 5: Are interviewed to assess pain, sleep, coping strategies, mood and anxiety. Week 6: Receive a DVD player and DVD with instruction on how to perform self-hypnosis. They practice hypnosis at home as often as needed, but at least once a day. They record in a pain diary in the morning and the evening their amount of pain, medication use, school or work attendance, quality and amount of sleep and number of times they use self-hypnosis. Weeks 8, 10 and 12: Turn in their pain diaries and have a pain assessment. Week 12: Are assessed for how they respond to the hypnosis. Group B Weeks 1-4: Receive weekly 60-minute sessions of education about sickle cell disease. Week 5: Are interviewed to assess pain, sleep, coping strategies, mood and anxiety. Week 6: Turn in their daily pain diaries and receive a DVD player and DVD that contains educational materials about sickle cell disease. Weeks 8, 10 and 12: Turn in their pain diaries and have a pain assessment. Weeks 13-24: Follow the procedures described in weeks 1-12 for Group A.

This study will examine the long-term safety and efficacy of Deferasirox in patients with sickle cell disease and iron overload from repeated blood transfusions.

The goal of this study is to determine the effectiveness of blood transfusion therapy for prevention of silent cerebral infarct (stroke) in children with sickle cell anemia.

Children with sickle cell anemia (SCA) seem to have higher energy needs than children who do not have the disease. This may be the reason why children and teenagers with sickle cell anemia tend to be smaller, weigh less, and have less fat and muscle than children and teens that do not have the disease. This study is being done to find out if giving a supplement called glutamine will help children with sickle cell anemia by lowering their energy needs and improving their growth and strength. Children will be randomly assigned (like a flip of a coin) to one of two groups. One group will take glutamine and one group will take a placebo (a protein mixture that looks like glutamine but may not have the same effect in the body). No one will know which group is taking which supplement until the study has been completed. Children will be in the study for 12 months.

The purpose of this study is to determine if treatment with reduced-dose busulfex, fludarabine and alemtuzumab (CAMPATH) followed by sten cell infusion will allow for donor stem cells to grow in patients with hemoglobinopathies bone marrow and restore circulating blood counts. In addition the incidence and severity of side effects and of graft vs. host disease (GVHD) will be monitored.

OBJECTIVES: I. Compare the efficacy of hydroxyurea with or without clotrimazole in terms of limiting the severity of anemia and the rate of hemolysis in patients with sickle cell anemia.

OBJECTIVES: I. Assess the efficacy of poloxamer 188 in reducing the duration of painful vaso-occlusive crisis in patients with sickle cell disease. II. Assess the effect of poloxamer 188 on duration and intensity of pain, total analgesic use, and length of hospitalization of these patients.