The six-year study involves 25 sites in the United States, Canada, England and France. The trial is funded by an $18.5 million National Institutes of Health grant, awarded to Washington University School of Medicine in Saint Louis, serving as the coordinating center with Michael DeBaun, Professor of Pediatrics, Biostatistics and Neurology.

The study’s goal is to determine the efficacy of blood transfusion therapy as a treatment for preventing silent strokes. Silent strokes — strokes that do not cause immediately obvious symptoms — frequently go unrecognized and are one of the most serious afflictions associated with sickle cell disease. They can cause declines in school performance, increased forgetfulness and a diminished ability to follow even simple instructions.

Sickle cell disease, an inherited disorder of the red blood cells, is the most common genetic disorder in African-Americans. The disease affects one in 400 African-American infants — and 22 percent of these children will suffer a silent stroke before they finish high school. Identifying silent strokes are important because preliminary research at Washington University over the past decade reveals that silent strokes seriously affect children’s educational attainment and they remain at increased risk for further neurologic injury.

For further information about sickle cell disease, please continue in our About Sickle Cell Disease or with the web links provided below. If you’d like to read more about the SIT Study, please open the PDF below which is our SIT Study Brochure.

Sickle Cell Disease Links
SIT Study Recruitment Report