Sickle Cell Program

Hematologists at Dell Children’s Blood and Cancer Center in Austin, TX, provide care for children with sickle cell disease and blood disorders.

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Child with sickle cell disease smiling.

Pediatric sickle cell program at Dell Children's

If your child has been diagnosed with sickle cell disease your child needs a children’s hospital that provides specialized, comprehensive care to help them stay healthy and manage symptoms. Specialists at the comprehensive pediatric sickle cell program at Dell Children’s Blood and Cancer Center in Austin, Texas, have the expertise to diagnose and treat babies, children and teens with blood disorders. As a recognized sickle cell treatment center by the National Alliance of Sickle Cell Centers (NASCC), we offer the most up-to-date therapies, preventative care, access to blood transfusions and automated red blood cell exchange. When you choose Dell Children’s for your child’s sickle cell care, your family will have a multispecialty care team that includes hematologists (blood doctors), pulmonologists (lung doctors), neurologists, behavioral health specialists, social workers, researchers and child life specialists. Your family’s dedicated care team works together to deliver care that’s right for your child. Only in Austin. Only at Dell Children’s.

National Alliance of Sickle Cell Centers

Specialized care for sickle cell disease

Preventive care, therapies and medications can help manage your child’s symptoms. That’s why we monitor your child’s overall health, including heart, brain, lung and eye health as well as bone and joint health. Through our comprehensive sickle cell program, your family will find all the care you need in one place, including:

  • Comprehensive annual evaluations and education
  • Blood transfusions 
  • Apheresis (withdrawing and filtering blood)
  • Brain studies using transcranial doppler ultrasound
  • Behavioral health experts to help your child learn coping skills
  • Advanced pain management
  • Medications, such as hydroxyurea and voxelotor
  • Support services and school liaison
  • Participation in clinical trials and research studies
  • Pediatric to adult transition education program called project LAUNCH
  • Multidisciplinary clinics
  • Sickle Squad, a teen advocacy group

Diagnosing and treating sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease causes blood cells to clump together, which can block blood vessels and damage organs. Your child’s doctor and care teams monitor your child’s health closely to help keep their heart, lungs and other organs healthy. Sickle cell disease can also cause damage to the spleen, which can put children at a higher risk for infections. Most children with sickle cell disease start having symptoms between 5 months and 1 year of age. Symptoms may include:

  • Acute chest syndrome (chest pain, cough, fever)
  • Anemia
  • Stroke or neurocognitive delays
  • Jaundice or yellowing of the skin
  • Pain crisis, which means pain caused by cells getting stuck in blood vessels
  • Swelling of hands and feet

Although sickle cell disease is a chronic, lifelong illness, your child’s care team can help manage the condition with personalized care. Our team of specialists start by listening to you and your child. Then, we work with you to create a care plan that’s right for your child and your family. Watch Dell Children’s series of videos to learn more about sickle cell in children and how to manage it.

Transitioning from pediatric to adult care for sickle cell disease

Teens with sickle cell disease (SCD) face unique challenges as they become adults, such as understanding the complications of SCD, learning how to manage their medications, and more. At Dell Children’s, we help make the transition into adult care smoother, with Project LAUNCH.

Project LAUNCH helps teens transition into adult care safely and successfully. Using educational videos and skills labs, patients learn to understand their disease, the way it affects their bodies, the medical complications they could experience, and the treatments they need to live a healthy life. They’ll also learn how to interact with doctors and specialists on their own, how to schedule appointments, use health insurance, and who to call when they have questions. All patients with sickle cell disease cared for at Dell Children’s will have the opportunity to start project LAUNCH. Children can begin the program at age 12 with the goal of transitioning to adult care in their early 20s.

CALL - 512-628-1900

Sickle Cell Program