Priapism is a serious complication associated with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) that may be a manifestation of underlying vasculopathy. The Centers for the Study of Complex Diseases of Childhood (CSCCD), comprising independent Comprehensive Sickle Cell Centers, demonstrated an association of priapism with hemolysis.1 Previously, we identified two groups of people with SCD based on red blood cell (RBC) adhesion under hypoxic conditions: those patients whose RBCs showed hypoxia-enhanced adhesion (HEA) and those whose did not (non-HEA).2 Patients with HEA had evidence for more hemolysis in vivo. Here, we aimed to examine (1) the association of HEA with hypoxia in vivo, and (2) RBC adhesion in normoxic and hypoxic conditions in male patients with or without a history of priapism.
