Postdischarge pain, functional limitations and impact on caregivers of children with sickle cell disease treated for painful events

This study aimed to describe the outcomes of children with sickle cell disease (SCD) after discharge from medical care for vaso-occlusive painful events and to test the hypothesis that older age, longer length of hospital stay, and a history of frequent vaso-occlusive painful events will be associated with poor outcomes. Children aged 2-18 years with SCD treated in the emergency department or inpatient unit for a painful event were contacted after discharge to assess: days of pain, days of functional limitations for the child, and days of work/school absenteeism for the caregiver. Descriptive statistics were applied and multivariate logistic regression examined the association between the predictors and outcomes. Fifty-eight children were enrolled (mean age 10.8 ± 4.8 years, 53.5% female). Postdischarge, 46.5% of children reported three or more days of pain, 54.3% had two or more days of functional limitations, and 24.3% of caregivers missed two or more days of work/school. Children with three or more prior painful events had increased odds of a poor outcome postdischarge (OR 1.79; 95% CI = 1.026, 3.096). In conclusion, acute vaso-occlusive painful events impact the lives of children with SCD and their caregivers, even after discharge to home.