Sahu T, Jagzape AT, Sinha M, Sinha R, Verma HK. New frontiers in sickle cell disease: The role of antiviral therapies and emerging drugs in managing viral infections. World J Virol 2025; 14(2): 101693 [DOI: 10.5501/wjv.v14.i2.101693]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Henu Kumar Verma, PhD, Senior Scientist, Department of Lung Health and Immunity, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Munich 85764, Bayren, Germany. henu.verma@yahoo.com
Research Domain of This Article
Hematology
Article-Type of This Article
Review
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Tarun Sahu, Arunita Tushar Jagzape, Meenakshi Sinha, Ramanjan Sinha, Department of Physiology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, Raipur 492099, Chhattīsgarh, India
Henu Kumar Verma, Department of Lung Health and Immunity, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Munich 85764, Bayren, Germany
Author contributions: Sahu T, Jagzape AT, Sinha M, Sinha R and Verma HK were responsible for resources and data curation; Sahu T, Jagzape AT, and Verma HK were responsible for writing original draft, review and editing; Sahu T and Verma HK were responsible for methodology and validation; Sinha M, Sinha R and Verma HK were responsible for supervision; Verma HK was responsible for conceptualization; all authors read and approve the final version of manuscript for the submission.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare no conflict of interest in publishing the manuscript.
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Henu Kumar Verma, PhD, Senior Scientist, Department of Lung Health and Immunity, Helmholtz Zentrum Munich, Ingolstädter Landstraße 1, Munich 85764, Bayren, Germany. henu.verma@yahoo.com
Received: September 23, 2024 Revised: November 14, 2024 Accepted: December 3, 2024 Published online: June 25, 2025 Processing time: 272 Days and 17.5 Hours
Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic disorder that predisposes affected individuals to a range of complications, including an increased susceptibility to viral infections. These infections present significant clinical challenges due to the underlying immunocompromised state in SCD patients. This review examines the interaction between viral infections and SCD, highlighting the vulnerabilities and the impact of these infections on morbidity and mortality in this population. Advances in antiviral therapies have significantly improved outcomes, yet managing viral infections in SCD patients requires special consideration due to drug-to-drug interactions, altered pharmacokinetics, and the potential exacerbation of SCD-related complications. Additionally, vaccination strategies against viral infections and the emerging role of prophylactic antiviral treatments are discussed as critical components of infection prevention. By focusing on both established and novel antiviral treatments, this article aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the challenges and opportunities in managing viral infections in patients with SCD.
Core Tip: Sickle cell disease patients are highly susceptible to viral infections due to their immune compromised state. This review highlights the complications associated with viral infections, its treatment plans, and the role of vaccinations in improving results in these patients. Future research is essential to optimize antiviral approaches in this vulnerable population.
