CSIR-CCMB develops India-specific tool to predict sickle cell severity

Researchers from CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) analysed the medical records of 171 children, aged up to 18 years, with Sickle Cell Anaemia and receiving treatment at the Government Medical College and Hospital, Nagpur. The image is used for representative purposes only. | Photo Credit: GETTY IMAGES

Doctors may soon have a more reliable way to predict how severely sickle cell anaemia (SCA) will affect Indian patients, thanks to a new India-specific disease severity score developed by scientists at the CSIR-Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB).

Potential impact of the India-specific tool

The new tool, developed using clinical data from Indian children, could improve treatment decisions and disease management as existing international scoring systems do not accurately reflect the clinical profile of Indian patients with SCA, whose disease patterns often differ from those seen in African and Western populations.

What is Sickle Cell Anaemia?

SCA is an inherited blood disorder caused by a mutation in the beta globin gene, which produces abnormal haemoglobin causing red blood cells to assume a sickle shape, leading to anaemia, severe pain episodes, organ damage and other complications. India is among the countries with the highest burden of the disease, according to Giriraj R. Chandak, physician-scientist and Sir J C Bose Fellow at CSIR-CCMB.

He and fellow scientists including Suraj S. Nongmaithem, Amitabh Biswas, Swaroop Iyer, Jandhayala Vyshnavi, Archana Wath and Dipty Jain conducted this study.

Early identification helps to alleviate suffering