Sickle cell disease - studying blood vessels
| Location: | Department of Physiology, The Medical School, University of Birmingham in conjunction with the University Department of Medicine and the Department of Haematology, City Hospital, Birmingham. |
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| Amount: | £14,583 |
| Status: | Research completed |
| Start Date: | 1st March 2003 |
| Finish Date: | 28th February 2004 |
| Grantholder: | Professor J M Marshall DSc, Dr J S Mohan PhD, Dr D Bareford FRCPath and Professor G Y H Lip MD. |
Sickle cell disease (SCD) affects around 12,500 people in the UK. The underlying cause of the common complications, such as severe bone, joint and abdominal pain, lung problems, stroke and leg ulceration is blockage of small blood vessels by misshapen red blood cells. Regulation of the diameter of small blood vessels is influenced by chemical substances released by a layer of cells lining the inside of the vessels. These chemicals can cause the vessels to relax or contract and abnormalities in the lining may therefore contribute to the blockage of vessels.
The aim of this study is to test whether the cell lining in the small blood vessels of patients with SCD is functioning normally. The results should help improve understanding of how these vessels function in SCD and how this can lead to the characteristic complications.
Janet Taylor, a patient with sickle cell disease, having her skin blood flow measured by Dr Junette Mohan
