Role of hydroxyurea therapy in the prevention of organ damage in sickle cell disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Hydroxyurea is an affordable drug that reduces vaso-occlusive crises and transfusion requirements in sickle cell disease. However, its effectiveness in preventing chronic organ damage is still unclear. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to evaluate the role of hydroxyurea in preventing organ morbidity.

We included original articles published in English from 1st January 1990 to 31st January 2023, reporting hydroxyurea therapy and organ damage from PubMed, Google Scholar, Scopus, and CrossRef databases. A total of 45 studies with 4681 sickle cell disease patients were evaluated for organ damage.

Our analysis showed that hydroxyurea intervention significantly lowered transcranial Doppler and tricuspid regurgitant velocity, with a standardized mean difference of − 1.03 (− 1.49; − 0.58); I² = 96% and − 1.37 (CI − 2.31, − 0.42); I² = 94%, respectively. Moreover, the pooled estimate for albuminuria showed a beneficial effect post-hydroxyurea therapy by reducing the risk of albuminuria by 58% (risk ratio of 0.42 (0.28; 0.63); I² = 28%).

Our study found that a hydroxyurea dose above 20 mg/kg/day with a mean rise in HbF by 18.46% post-hydroxyurea therapy had a beneficial role in reducing transcranial doppler velocity, tricuspid regurgitant velocity, albuminuria, and splenic abnormality.

PROSPERO CRD42023401187.