A-209 Cognitive Effects of Sickle Cell Disease in Children

Abstract

Abstract Objective: Multiple contributors to neurocognitive impairment in individuals with sickle cell disease (SCD) have been identified. Research indicates that a history of cerebrovascular accidents are associated with greater cognitive decline among children with sickle cell disease, specifically among visual-spatial tasks. Studies have also indicated the presence of age effects within this population. The purpose of this research is to examine the specific cognitive domains impacted by disease severity and age. Method: Archival data from the National Institutes of Health’s Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease was used. Data was restricted to individuals aged 14 or younger (N= 2,408), with 47.8% (n = 1,152) female and 52.2% (n = 1,256) male. Black or African American (96.9%, n = 2,334) children made up the majority of the sample, with the remainder coded as “other” (2.8%, n = 68). The measures utilized included the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Revised (WISC-R), Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Third Edition (WISC-III), Woodcock Johnson-Revised (WJ-R), and Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test (PPVT). Results: Disease severity was negatively correlated with some aspects of cognitive functioning, specifically in the visual-spatial domain [F(2, 1) = 4.42, p = .013, η² = .02]. Age was inversely correlated with measures of perceptual organization (r = -.36, p = .02) and visual motor abilities (r = -.49, p = .001). Conclusions: Results revealed that disease severity was negatively correlated with several aspects of cognitive functioning. Cognitive decline also increased with age among this population. Introducing remediation interventions at earlier stages may help to reduce significant cognitive deficits.