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‹ Sat · 23 May 2026
Underserved or high-risk populations

Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate Discordance and Cardiopulmonary Morbidity in Sickle Cell Disease

A simple blood test combination flags heart and lung problems in sickle cell patients, filling a critical monitoring gap.

In a propensity-weighted cross-sectional study of 1,099 Black adults (223 with SCD, 876 controls), eGFR discordance between cystatin-C and creatinine methods was markedly amplified in SCD and independently predicted prevalent heart failure (aOR 4.65) and pulmonary hypertension (aOR 2.70). This positions eGFR discordance as a readily calculable, non-invasive biomarker for non-atherosclerotic cardiopulmonary risk stratification in sickle cell disease — a population with high unmet monitoring needs.

What the study was

Study design
Cross-sectional study with propensity score overlap weighting
Population
Black adults with sickle cell disease vs. non-SCD controls
Sample size
1099
Category
Diagnostics
Maturity
Validated
Journal
Blood Advances

Why it surfaced

Novel non-invasive biomarker (eGFR discordance) for cardiopulmonary risk in SCD — a high-unmet-need rare hematologic disease primarily affecting Black adults. Propensity-weighted design, n=1,099, strong effect sizes (aOR 4.65 HF, 2.70 PH). Near-term implementable: both eGFR metrics routinely available in clinical practice. Blood Advances.

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