Dexamethasone to Treat Acute Chest Syndrome in People With Sickle Cell Disease

SCD is an inherited blood disorder. Symptoms include anemia, infections, organ damage, and intense episodes of pain, which are called "sickle cell crises." ACS is a life-threatening, lung-related complication of SCD that can lower the level of oxygen in the blood. Repeat occurrences of ACS can cause lung damage. It is the second most common cause of hospitalizations among people with SCD and accounts for more than 25% of premature deaths in people with SCD. Symptoms of ACS include fever, chest pain, cough, and breathing difficulties. ACS can appear suddenly and often requires immediate hospitalization and treatment, including antibiotics, supplemental oxygen, and blood transfusions. Previous studies have shown that dexamethasone, a type of steroid medication that blocks inflammation, can decrease hospitalization time for people with ACS; however, some participants in these earlier studies were re-hospitalized due to new sickle cell pain. Slowly decreasing the dosage of dexamethasone over a period of time may decrease the chance that new sickle cell pain will occur. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a dexamethasone regimen that includes a gradual dose reduction at decreasing hospitalization and recovery time in people with SCD and ACS. This study will enroll people with SCD who are hospitalized and have been diagnosed with ACS within the past 24 hours. Participants will be randomly assigned to receive either dexamethasone or placebo on a daily basis for 8 days. Every 2 days the medication dose will be gradually reduced. While in the hospital, participants will receive usual care for ACS, including antibiotics, pain control medication, intravenous fluids, and other needed treatments. Each day, participants will undergo a physical exam, a pain assessment score, a test to measure the oxygen level in the body, blood collection, and, if needed, a chest x-ray. Vital signs and blood pressure measurements will be taken every 4 hours. Study staff will document the amount of pain medication, blood transfusions, oxygen, and breathing treatments participants receive. Upon leaving the hospital, follow-up visits will occur 1 week after participants were originally admitted to the hospital (participants who are still hospitalized at this time will not attend this visit) and 1 month after hospital discharge. At both visits, information on hospital visits for pain treatment and blood transfusions will be collected, and evaluations performed earlier in the study will be repeated. The second visit will also include lung function tests.