Parvovirus B19 infections in paediatric sickle cell disease patients: Genotype and hydroxyurea treatment influence disease severity

Summary In patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), parvovirus B19 infection (B19V) leads to acute anaemia (aplastic crisis), but may also be associated with other serious complications. We retrospectively analysed clinical data from paediatric SCD patients with B19V infections between 2023 and 2025, including symptoms, laboratory parameters, diagnostic procedures and treatment details to detect differences between SCD genotypes (HbSS and HbS/β 0 ‐thalassaemia, i.e. HbSS/Sβ 0 , and HbSC) and to determine the effect of hydroxyurea (HU; hydroxycarbamide) treatment in HbSS/Sβ 0 patients. Ninety‐eight patients (76 HbSS/Sβ 0 , 22 HbSC) were included in the study. There were significant differences in the symptoms of infection between genotypes, with a high prevalence of back pain as well as higher C‐reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase levels in HbSC. HbSC patients also received chest X‐ray more frequently and required longer inpatient treatment. In addition, HbSC patients showed a significantly higher rate of immunoglobulin G seroconversion at the onset of symptoms, suggesting that antibody formation influences clinical appearance. In HbSS/Sβ 0 patients, HU treatment was associated with higher haemoglobin and reduced transfusion requirements, but more frequently with neutropenia. In summary, B19V infections induce different clinical presentations depending on SCD genotypes, with HbSC patients showing a distinct phenotypic presentation. HU treatment reduces the need for transfusions in patients with HbSS/Sβ 0 .

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
British Journal of Haematology
Published
2026-09-13
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/bjh.70809
Primary Topic
Parvovirus B19 Infection Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
article

Parvovirus B19 infections in paediatric sickle cell disease patients: Genotype and hydroxyurea treatment influence disease severity

Franziska Gams, Beate Winkler, Lara Imhof, Nora Naumann‐Bartsch et al.
British Journal of Haematology
Parvovirus B19 Infection Studies
article

Parvovirus B19 infections in paediatric sickle cell disease patients: Genotype and hydroxyurea treatment influence disease severity

Franziska Gams, Beate Winkler, Lara Imhof, Nora Naumann‐Bartsch, Urs Mücke, Arndt Borkhardt, Andreas H. Groll, Marion Appel, Holger Cario, Regine Grosse, Svenja Häuser, Uta Falke, Matthias Bleeke, Ulf Schulze‐Sturm, Sarah Goretzki, Yvonne Pritschow, Michael Dworzak, Eckard Hamelmann, Sonya El Amouri, Daniel Ebrahimi‐Fakhari, Karin Beutel, Meinolf Siepermann, Wolfgang Novak, Arne Simon, Anna Eichinger, Henriette Rudolph, Stefan Weichert, Maximilian David Mauritz, Martina Stiefel, Rainer Misgeld, Leila Koscher, Malik Aydin, Olaf Beck, Laura Tagliaferri, Nicole Töpfner, Clara Held, Michaela Nathrath, Sabine Heine, Verena Wiegering, Philipp Tischer, Piet E. Beusker, Solvej Heidtmann, Ulrich von Both
article en

Abstract

Summary In patients with sickle cell disease (SCD), parvovirus B19 infection (B19V) leads to acute anaemia (aplastic crisis), but may also be associated with other serious complications. We retrospectively analysed clinical data from paediatric SCD patients with B19V infections between 2023 and 2025, including symptoms, laboratory parameters, diagnostic procedures and treatment details to detect differences between SCD genotypes (HbSS and HbS/β 0 ‐thalassaemia, i.e. HbSS/Sβ 0 , and HbSC) and to determine the effect of hydroxyurea (HU; hydroxycarbamide) treatment in HbSS/Sβ 0 patients. Ninety‐eight patients (76 HbSS/Sβ 0 , 22 HbSC) were included in the study. There were significant differences in the symptoms of infection between genotypes, with a high prevalence of back pain as well as higher C‐reactive protein and lactate dehydrogenase levels in HbSC. HbSC patients also received chest X‐ray more frequently and required longer inpatient treatment. In addition, HbSC patients showed a significantly higher rate of immunoglobulin G seroconversion at the onset of symptoms, suggesting that antibody formation influences clinical appearance. In HbSS/Sβ 0 patients, HU treatment was associated with higher haemoglobin and reduced transfusion requirements, but more frequently with neutropenia. In summary, B19V infections induce different clinical presentations depending on SCD genotypes, with HbSC patients showing a distinct phenotypic presentation. HU treatment reduces the need for transfusions in patients with HbSS/Sβ 0 .

British Journal of Haematology
Goethe University Frankfurt (DE), Witten/Herdecke University (DE), Universität Hamburg (DE), University of Mannheim (DE), Universität Ulm (DE), Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE), Heidelberg University (DE), Medizinische Hochschule Hannover (DE), Universitätsklinikum Erlangen (DE), Vestische Caritas-Kliniken (DE), University Medical Center of the Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz (DE), University Hospital Münster (DE), University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (DE), Hopp Children's Cancer Center Heidelberg (DE), Universitätsklinikum Aachen (DE), St Anna Children's Hospital (AT), University Children's Hospital Tübingen (DE), Universitätsklinikum Würzburg (DE), German Centre for Cardiovascular Research (DE), Klinikum Kassel (DE), Gemeinschaftsklinikum Mittelrhein (DE), University Hospital Cologne (DE), University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus (DE), Johannes Wesling Klinikum Minden (DE), Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (DE), University of Duisburg-Essen (DE), Technical University of Munich (DE), Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg (DE), Medical University of Vienna (AT), Technische Universität Dresden (DE), Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (DE), RWTH Aachen University (DE), Bethel University (US), Saarland University (DE)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 11%
Parvovirus B19 Infection Studies
DOIOpen Access PDFOpenAlex
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.