A study of the geographic distribution and associated risk factors of leg ulcers within an international cohort of sickle cell disease patients: the CASiRe group analysis

Vasculopathy is a hallmark of sickle cell disease ultimately resulting in chronic end organ damage. Leg ulcer is one of its sequelae, occurring in ~ 5–10% of adult sickle cell patients. The majority of leg ulcer publications to date have emanated from single center cohort studies. As such, there are limited studies on the geographic distribution of leg ulcers and associated risk factors worldwide. The Consortium for the Advancement of Sickle Cell Research (CASiRe) was formed to improve the understanding of the different phenotypes of sickle cell disease patients living in different geographic locations around the world (USA, UK, Italy, Ghana).