Evidence from the Cooperative Study of Sickle Cell Disease (CSSCD) study showed that there is an association between multiple pain events and early death in young adults. If this association is true, then MSH has the potential to not only reduce morbidity but mortality as well. The CSSCD study has shown that over 50 percent of patients with sickle cell disease have at least one crisis per year, and a considerable number have more. These episodes are believed to occur as a result of hemoglobin S within the red cells leading to rigid, non-deformable cells which can no longer traverse the microvasculature and as a result produce obstruction with consequent pain, ischemia, and tissue necrosis.