Prevention of Stroke after STOP
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Investigator: Heather Fullerton, MD
Sponsor: Medical University of South Carolina
Location(s): United States
Description
STOP and STOP II were the first randomized clinical trials of stroke prevention in sickle cell disease and in any childhood stroke condition. The Stroke Prevention Trial in Sickle Cell Anemia (STOP) was a randomized trial to evaluate whether chronic transfusion could prevent initial stroke in children with sickle-cell anemia at high risk as determined by transcranial Doppler (TCD). Why have a trial to prevent stroke in children with sickle cell disease?
Sickle cell disease is one of the few conditions associated with childhood stroke, and occurs in 8 - 12% of children with certain types of sickle cell disease (SCD -HbSS and SCD - HbS beta-zero).The disparity in stroke-related deaths among black and white children dramatically narrowed after prevention strategies changed to include ultrasound screening and chronic blood transfusions for children with sickle cell anemia.