The Impact of Hydroxyurea on Career and Employment of Patients With Sickle Cell Anemia

The purpose of this study was to determine the association between hydroxyurea treatment and changes in employment status, if any, among patients with sickle cell anemia enrolled in the Multicenter Study of Hydroxyurea in Sickle Cell Anemia (MSH). To that end, we compared the employment status among treatment responders, treatment nonresponders, and placebo groups of patients enrolled in MSH during the clinical trial and follow-up periods. Treatment with hydroxyurea did not significantly (p > .05) affect employment status, but there was a trend for more consistent employment in the hydroxyurea group. Given the fact that patients enrolled in MSH had moderate to severe disease with irreversible complications such as avascular necrosis, it would be attractive to hypothesize that future treatment of young patients with hydroxyurea could prevent or mitigate the incidence of complications of sickle cell anemia and, hence, improve the employment status of treated patients.