Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a monogenetic disease with a polygenic phenotype. Stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases are still among the most dramatic complications of SCD. The epidemiology of stroke in SCD differs from that of non-SCD associated stroke, creating a significant challenge with diagnosis and management. Further, a wide array of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions have been associated with stroke in SCD. All of these contribute to significant phenotypic variability both in the disease in general and specifically, the associated complications of stroke and cerebrovascular disease. More research is required to illuminate the biological complexity of SCD in general and the associated complication of stroke in particular.