{"id":{"repo_id":"kings","oai_identifier":"oai:kclpure.kcl.ac.uk:studenttheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d"},"canonical_url":"https://search.dev.ndltd.org/etd/kings/oai:kclpure.kcl.ac.uk:studenttheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d","repository":{"repo_id":"kings","name":"King's College London","base_url":"https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/ws/oai"},"display":{"title":"Characteristics of cardiovascular dysfunction and pulminory hypertension in patients with sickle cell disease","abstract":"Background<br/>Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary hemoglobinopathy that causes chronic<br/>complications due to repetitive vaso-occlusive events and hemolysis, and can<br/>lead to multiorgan failure and shortened life expectancy. Among a spectrum of<br/>cardiovascular manifestations in these patients, pulmonary hypertension (PHT)<br/>has been stated to pose the highest concern. The exact prevalence of PHT in<br/>SCD is controversial; clinical studies using echocardiography have suggested<br/>PHT to be highly prevalent and a major determinant of outcome. The<br/>contribution of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction to SCD also remains poorly<br/>understood.<br/>Aims<br/>(1) To characterise cardiac function in SCD patients using new 3-dimensional<br/>echocardiographic imaging techniques.<br/>(2) To determine the prevalence of PHT in SCD patients by using advanced<br/>echocardiographic methods and establish mechanisms involved in the<br/>development of PHT.<br/>(3) To assess whether SCD patients have endothelial dysfunction independent<br/>of other vascular risk factors.<br/>Methods<br/>Detailed 2D, 3D and Doppler echocardiography studies were performed in 122<br/>consecutive unselected SCD patients and 30 healthy age- gender- and<br/>ethnicity-matched controls to assess cardiac function and look for PHT. A sub19<br/>group of patients underwent invasive assessment of pulmonary vascular<br/>resistance (PVR) by right heart catheterisation. CT lung scan and lung function<br/>tests were also performed in patients suspected to have PHT. Vascular<br/>endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated forearm vasodilatation in<br/>twenty stable adolescent SCD patients without other risk factors and fifteen<br/>healthy age-matched controls.<br/>Results<br/>Results indicate that patients with SCD have significantly enlarged cardiac<br/>dimensions associated with elevated cardiac index (CI) that correlated with the<br/>degree of anaemia. Cardiomegaly in SCD patients was not associated with<br/>significant contractile dysfunction as assessed by regional myocardial<br/>deformation. A high proportion (&gt;30%) of SCD patients had a tricuspid<br/>regurgitation jet velocity ! 2.5m/s but non-invasive estimation of PVR revealed<br/>that only a minor proportion (&lt;5%) had elevated values. These findings were<br/>confirmed by right heart catheterisation. The raised tricuspid regurgitant<br/>velocities in SCD patients may be driven more by elevated CI than by elevated<br/>PVR. Finally, it was found that young patients with SCD had evidence of<br/>subclinical vascular endothelial dysfunction.<br/>Taken together, these results provide new information about the prevalence<br/>and underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular dysfunction in patients with SCD.<br/>","abstract_html":"Background&lt;br/&gt;Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary hemoglobinopathy that causes chronic&lt;br/&gt;complications due to repetitive vaso-occlusive events and hemolysis, and can&lt;br/&gt;lead to multiorgan failure and shortened life expectancy. Among a spectrum of&lt;br/&gt;cardiovascular manifestations in these patients, pulmonary hypertension (PHT)&lt;br/&gt;has been stated to pose the highest concern. The exact prevalence of PHT in&lt;br/&gt;SCD is controversial; clinical studies using echocardiography have suggested&lt;br/&gt;PHT to be highly prevalent and a major determinant of outcome. The&lt;br/&gt;contribution of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction to SCD also remains poorly&lt;br/&gt;understood.&lt;br/&gt;Aims&lt;br/&gt;(1) To characterise cardiac function in SCD patients using new 3-dimensional&lt;br/&gt;echocardiographic imaging techniques.&lt;br/&gt;(2) To determine the prevalence of PHT in SCD patients by using advanced&lt;br/&gt;echocardiographic methods and establish mechanisms involved in the&lt;br/&gt;development of PHT.&lt;br/&gt;(3) To assess whether SCD patients have endothelial dysfunction independent&lt;br/&gt;of other vascular risk factors.&lt;br/&gt;Methods&lt;br/&gt;Detailed 2D, 3D and Doppler echocardiography studies were performed in 122&lt;br/&gt;consecutive unselected SCD patients and 30 healthy age- gender- and&lt;br/&gt;ethnicity-matched controls to assess cardiac function and look for PHT. A sub19&lt;br/&gt;group of patients underwent invasive assessment of pulmonary vascular&lt;br/&gt;resistance (PVR) by right heart catheterisation. CT lung scan and lung function&lt;br/&gt;tests were also performed in patients suspected to have PHT. Vascular&lt;br/&gt;endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated forearm vasodilatation in&lt;br/&gt;twenty stable adolescent SCD patients without other risk factors and fifteen&lt;br/&gt;healthy age-matched controls.&lt;br/&gt;Results&lt;br/&gt;Results indicate that patients with SCD have significantly enlarged cardiac&lt;br/&gt;dimensions associated with elevated cardiac index (CI) that correlated with the&lt;br/&gt;degree of anaemia. Cardiomegaly in SCD patients was not associated with&lt;br/&gt;significant contractile dysfunction as assessed by regional myocardial&lt;br/&gt;deformation. A high proportion (&amp;gt;30%) of SCD patients had a tricuspid&lt;br/&gt;regurgitation jet velocity ! 2.5m/s but non-invasive estimation of PVR revealed&lt;br/&gt;that only a minor proportion (&amp;lt;5%) had elevated values. These findings were&lt;br/&gt;confirmed by right heart catheterisation. The raised tricuspid regurgitant&lt;br/&gt;velocities in SCD patients may be driven more by elevated CI than by elevated&lt;br/&gt;PVR. Finally, it was found that young patients with SCD had evidence of&lt;br/&gt;subclinical vascular endothelial dysfunction.&lt;br/&gt;Taken together, these results provide new information about the prevalence&lt;br/&gt;and underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular dysfunction in patients with SCD.&lt;br/&gt;","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Mushemi-Blake, Sitali"],"institution":"King's College London","degree_name":"Doctor of Philosophy","degree_level":"Doctoral Thesis","degree_discipline":null,"degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":["Shah, Ajay Manmohan","Melikian, Narbeh"],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2013,"date_issued":"2013-3-1","date_published":"2013-3-1","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:44:42Z","subjects":[],"languages":["eng"],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:kclpure.kcl.ac.uk:studenttheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d"],"render_values":[{"text":"oai:kclpure.kcl.ac.uk:studenttheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d","href":null,"code":true}]}]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/studentTheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor.advisor","label":"Advisor","values":["Shah, Ajay Manmohan","Melikian, Narbeh"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Mushemi-Blake, Sitali"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date","label":"Dc Date","values":["2013-3-1"]},{"key":"dc:date.issued","label":"Date","values":["2013-3-1"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.department","label":"Dc Publisher Department","values":["Cardiovascular Sciences"]},{"key":"dc:publisher.institution","label":"Dc Publisher Institution","values":["King's College London"]},{"key":"dc:relation.isreferencedby","label":"Dc Relation Isreferencedby","values":["https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/studentTheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationlevel","label":"Dc Type Qualificationlevel","values":["Doctoral Thesis"]},{"key":"dc:type.qualificationname","label":"Dc Type Qualificationname","values":["Doctor of Philosophy"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:language","label":"Dc Language","values":["eng"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["oai:kclpure.kcl.ac.uk:studenttheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d","https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/studentTheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d"]},{"key":"dc:identifier.uri","label":"Identifier URI","values":["https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/13152254/Studentthesis-Sitali_Mushemi-Blake_2013.pdf"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Background<br/>Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary hemoglobinopathy that causes chronic<br/>complications due to repetitive vaso-occlusive events and hemolysis, and can<br/>lead to multiorgan failure and shortened life expectancy. Among a spectrum of<br/>cardiovascular manifestations in these patients, pulmonary hypertension (PHT)<br/>has been stated to pose the highest concern. The exact prevalence of PHT in<br/>SCD is controversial; clinical studies using echocardiography have suggested<br/>PHT to be highly prevalent and a major determinant of outcome. The<br/>contribution of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction to SCD also remains poorly<br/>understood.<br/>Aims<br/>(1) To characterise cardiac function in SCD patients using new 3-dimensional<br/>echocardiographic imaging techniques.<br/>(2) To determine the prevalence of PHT in SCD patients by using advanced<br/>echocardiographic methods and establish mechanisms involved in the<br/>development of PHT.<br/>(3) To assess whether SCD patients have endothelial dysfunction independent<br/>of other vascular risk factors.<br/>Methods<br/>Detailed 2D, 3D and Doppler echocardiography studies were performed in 122<br/>consecutive unselected SCD patients and 30 healthy age- gender- and<br/>ethnicity-matched controls to assess cardiac function and look for PHT. A sub19<br/>group of patients underwent invasive assessment of pulmonary vascular<br/>resistance (PVR) by right heart catheterisation. CT lung scan and lung function<br/>tests were also performed in patients suspected to have PHT. Vascular<br/>endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated forearm vasodilatation in<br/>twenty stable adolescent SCD patients without other risk factors and fifteen<br/>healthy age-matched controls.<br/>Results<br/>Results indicate that patients with SCD have significantly enlarged cardiac<br/>dimensions associated with elevated cardiac index (CI) that correlated with the<br/>degree of anaemia. Cardiomegaly in SCD patients was not associated with<br/>significant contractile dysfunction as assessed by regional myocardial<br/>deformation. A high proportion (&gt;30%) of SCD patients had a tricuspid<br/>regurgitation jet velocity ! 2.5m/s but non-invasive estimation of PVR revealed<br/>that only a minor proportion (&lt;5%) had elevated values. These findings were<br/>confirmed by right heart catheterisation. The raised tricuspid regurgitant<br/>velocities in SCD patients may be driven more by elevated CI than by elevated<br/>PVR. Finally, it was found that young patients with SCD had evidence of<br/>subclinical vascular endothelial dysfunction.<br/>Taken together, these results provide new information about the prevalence<br/>and underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular dysfunction in patients with SCD.<br/>"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Characteristics of cardiovascular dysfunction and pulminory hypertension in patients with sickle cell disease"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor.advisor":["Shah, Ajay Manmohan","Melikian, Narbeh"],"dc:creator":["Mushemi-Blake, Sitali"],"dc:date":["2013-3-1"],"dc:date.issued":["2013-3-1"],"dc:description.abstract":["Background<br/>Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary hemoglobinopathy that causes chronic<br/>complications due to repetitive vaso-occlusive events and hemolysis, and can<br/>lead to multiorgan failure and shortened life expectancy. Among a spectrum of<br/>cardiovascular manifestations in these patients, pulmonary hypertension (PHT)<br/>has been stated to pose the highest concern. The exact prevalence of PHT in<br/>SCD is controversial; clinical studies using echocardiography have suggested<br/>PHT to be highly prevalent and a major determinant of outcome. The<br/>contribution of cardiac and endothelial dysfunction to SCD also remains poorly<br/>understood.<br/>Aims<br/>(1) To characterise cardiac function in SCD patients using new 3-dimensional<br/>echocardiographic imaging techniques.<br/>(2) To determine the prevalence of PHT in SCD patients by using advanced<br/>echocardiographic methods and establish mechanisms involved in the<br/>development of PHT.<br/>(3) To assess whether SCD patients have endothelial dysfunction independent<br/>of other vascular risk factors.<br/>Methods<br/>Detailed 2D, 3D and Doppler echocardiography studies were performed in 122<br/>consecutive unselected SCD patients and 30 healthy age- gender- and<br/>ethnicity-matched controls to assess cardiac function and look for PHT. A sub19<br/>group of patients underwent invasive assessment of pulmonary vascular<br/>resistance (PVR) by right heart catheterisation. CT lung scan and lung function<br/>tests were also performed in patients suspected to have PHT. Vascular<br/>endothelial function was assessed by flow-mediated forearm vasodilatation in<br/>twenty stable adolescent SCD patients without other risk factors and fifteen<br/>healthy age-matched controls.<br/>Results<br/>Results indicate that patients with SCD have significantly enlarged cardiac<br/>dimensions associated with elevated cardiac index (CI) that correlated with the<br/>degree of anaemia. Cardiomegaly in SCD patients was not associated with<br/>significant contractile dysfunction as assessed by regional myocardial<br/>deformation. A high proportion (&gt;30%) of SCD patients had a tricuspid<br/>regurgitation jet velocity ! 2.5m/s but non-invasive estimation of PVR revealed<br/>that only a minor proportion (&lt;5%) had elevated values. These findings were<br/>confirmed by right heart catheterisation. The raised tricuspid regurgitant<br/>velocities in SCD patients may be driven more by elevated CI than by elevated<br/>PVR. Finally, it was found that young patients with SCD had evidence of<br/>subclinical vascular endothelial dysfunction.<br/>Taken together, these results provide new information about the prevalence<br/>and underlying mechanisms of cardiovascular dysfunction in patients with SCD.<br/>"],"dc:identifier":["oai:kclpure.kcl.ac.uk:studenttheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d","https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/studentTheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d"],"dc:identifier.uri":["https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/files/13152254/Studentthesis-Sitali_Mushemi-Blake_2013.pdf"],"dc:language":["eng"],"dc:publisher.department":["Cardiovascular Sciences"],"dc:publisher.institution":["King's College London"],"dc:relation.isreferencedby":["https://kclpure.kcl.ac.uk/portal/en/studentTheses/37bb71db-b314-465d-9961-d05eaa676e2d"],"dc:title":["Characteristics of cardiovascular dysfunction and pulminory hypertension in patients with sickle cell disease"],"dc:type":["Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationlevel":["Doctoral Thesis"],"dc:type.qualificationname":["Doctor of Philosophy"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:44:42Z"}