Acute chest syndrome in the setting of SARS-COV-2 infections-A case series at an urban medical center in the Bronx.

Morrone, Kerry A; Strumph, Kaitlin; Liszewski, Mark J; Jackson, Jenai; Rinke, Michael L; Silver, Ellen J; Minniti, Caterina; Davila, Jennifer; Mitchell, William B; Manwani, Deepa

New York City has emerged as one of the epicenters of the SARS-COV-2 pandemic, with the Bronx being disproportionately affected. This novel coronavirus has caused significant respiratory manifestations raising the concern for development of acute chest syndrome (ACS) in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD). We report a series of pediatric SCD SARS-COV-2-positive patients admitted with ACS. SARS-COV-2-positive SCD patients, who did not develop ACS, were the comparison group. Hydroxyurea use (P-value = .02) and lower absolute monocyte counts (P-value = .04) were noted in patients who did not develop ACS. These preliminary findings need to be further evaluated in larger cohorts.