Over recent years, advances in understanding how sickle cell disease (SCD) affects the brain have highlighted the need for coordinated, evidence-based care to prevent and manage cerebrovascular complications in children and adults. The ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines on SCD-related cerebrovascular disease provide screening and treatment recommendations for strokes and silent strokes, including the use of brain imaging, transfusion strategies, and disease-modifying therapies. Developed to support hematologists, neurologists, primary care and emergency physicians, and other specialists, these guidelines are designed to improve recognition of neurologic complications, guide timely interventions, and inform shared decision-making with individuals living with SCD and their families, while also identifying critical knowledge gaps to direct future research and policy.
In 2023, these guidelines were reviewed by an expert work group convened by ASH. Review included limited searches for new evidence and discussion of the search results. Following this review, the ASH Committee on Quality agreed to continue monitoring the supporting evidence rather than revise or retire these guidelines at this time.
