Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Children with Sickle Cell Disease and Thalassemia Major: A National Database Study

In patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and beta-thalassemia major (TM), allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was considered the only curative treatment option with a good survival rate. However, with the recent approval of gene therapies, more information is needed to understand the benefits and risks of these interventions. We performed a retrospective analysis of the Kids Inpatient Database to describe demographic features, short-term complications, and hospital charges of patients with SCD and TM treated with HSCT during 2006–2019 in the United States. The database was filtered using the International Classification of Diseases, 9th and 10th edition codes to identify children under 20 years of age with SCD or TM who underwent HSCT. A total of 513 children with SCD or TM who received HSCT were analyzed. The prevalence of HSCT per 1000,000 U.S. population increased from 0.31 in 2006 to 1.99 in 2019 (p < 0.001). The median age of children with SCD who underwent HSCT was 10 (6–15) years, and that for TM was 6 (3–11.5) years (p < 0.001). The combined mortality rate was 4% (2.4%–6.6%) but higher in the TM group. The length-of-stay and total charges were higher in the TM population (p < 0.01). This study provides national data on HSCT among hospitalized children with SCD and TM in the United States, demonstrating an increasing use of HSCT between 2006 and 2019. Although hospital mortality of HSCT in these conditions is low, it still represents a challenge, especially in TM patients.