Pediatric Sickle Cell Clinic
If your child is diagnosed with sickle cell disease or a related disorder, partner with an expert team that can help him or her stay as healthy, happy and active as possible.
Nationally Recognized Care Center
At UNC Children’s, you’ll find the most up-to-date treatments and therapies for sickle cell disease because:
- Our clinic is part of a national network of providers dedicated to the best care for people with sickle cell disease.
- UNC Medical Center—in partnership with Duke University—offers one of only 10 National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers in the country.
Diagnosing Sickle Cell Disease
All babies in North Carolina—and across the U.S.—are screened for sickle cell disease as part of their newborn screening test. If your child’s newborn screen shows a positive (abnormal) result, you’ll need to see a hematologist for follow-up blood tests to confirm the diagnosis.
Sickle cell disease also can be diagnosed before birth. If you have a family history of the condition, ask about testing your unborn baby for sickle cell disease through amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling (CVS).
What We Treat
Find care for all types of sickle cell disease and related blood disorders, including:
- Sickle cell disease
- Sickle cell anemia
- Sickle SC disease
- Sickle-beta thalassemia
- Sickle hereditary persistence of fetal hemoglobin
- Other sickle cell syndrome variants
- Hemoglobin E trait and disease
- Any “variant hemoglobin” noted on newborn screening
- Thalassemic disorders
- Alpha thalassemias
- Hemoglobin constant spring
- Hemoglobin H disease
- Hb Barts on newborn screen
- Prenatal consultation for homozygous alpha thalassemia (hydrops fetalis)
- Beta thalassemias
- Beta thalassemia trait
- Beta thalassemia major (Cooley’s anemia)
- Beta thalassemia minor
- Other thalassemias
Learn about treatment for other pediatric blood disorders at UNC Children’s.
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Treatments
Services & Treatments We Offer
When you choose UNC Children’s, you’ll get a personalized care plan that aims to prevent complications and help you and your child confidently manage his or her condition. Take advantage of services and treatments such as:
- Advanced imaging tests to screen for related complications
- Abdominal ultrasound – Checks for gallstones
- Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) – Detects stroke and dead tissue
- Transcranial Doppler – Assesses stroke risk
- Education and counselling for parents and children
- Educational accommodations – Help your child succeed in school
- Medication management
- Neuropsychological screening – Identifies problems that could affect your child’s ability to learn
- Stem cell transplant – Replaces bone marrow with healthy stem cells
- Transfusion therapy – Provides healthy red blood cells through an IV
- Transitional care for adolescents – Creates a seamless transition between pediatric and adult care
Clinical Trials of Promising New Treatments
If your child is eligible for a clinical trial, s/he may benefit from promising new treatments for sickle cell disease that aren’t yet widely available.
24-Hour Phone
24-Hour Phone Consultations
Reach a member of your child’s sickle cell team 24/7 by calling our dedicated sickle cell advice line at 800-476-6876.
Get Care Close to Home
Your first appointment for sickle cell care with UNC Children’s will be scheduled at our clinical home, N.C. Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill. You can choose to get follow up care at one of the following locations:
- N.C. Children’s Hospital in Chapel Hill
- Outpatient care is delivered in UNC Children’s Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Clinic, located on the first floor of N.C. Cancer Hospital
- N.C. Children’s Specialty Clinic, located on the UNC REX Healthcare campus in Raleigh
- New Hanover Regional Hospital in Wilmington
