This study is supported by the National Institutes of Health Grant Number 1R21NS080639 (October 2012 – August 2014) and NIH/NINDS 1R01NS094041-01 (September 2015 – July 2020) as the Primary Prevention of Strokes in Nigerian Children with Sickle Cell Disease (SPIN Trial). The participating institutions and organizations are Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and Aminu Kano Teaching Hospital.
Study Overview:
Sickle cell disease is the most common genetic disease in the world. Approximately 150,000 Nigerian children are born each year with sickle cell disease, making it the country with the largest burden of sickle cell disease in the world. Sickle cell disease is the most common cause of stroke in children and results in considerable morbidity in affected children. The current primary prevention approach of regular monthly blood transfusion therapy of children at high risk of stroke is not feasible in a low income country such as Nigeria due to scarcity of supply, cost, and high rate of blood borne infections. The Sickle Cell Disease—Stroke Prevention in Nigeria (SPIN) Trial, or SPIN Trial, is a research study funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The goal of the SPIN Trial is to answer questions that allow doctors to know whether children and families affected by sickle cell disease in a low income country will accept hydroxyurea as a therapy and if it lowers the chance of a stroke for children with sickle cell disease. To our knowledge this would be the first stroke prevention trial in Nigeria and could establish a precedent to expand secondary stroke prevention for children and adults with sickle cell disease, as regrettably, no therapy is available to prevent recurrent stroke in these high-risk patients in resource-poor nations.