OBJECTIVES: Many patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience sickle cell-related pain crises, also referred to as vaso-occlusive crises (VOCs). This study aimed to understand how VOCs impact quality of life (QoL) and healthcare resource utilization (HCRU). METHODS: The analytic sample included adult patients with SCD (N=252) who completed an online survey. Reported data include scores on the Adult Sickle Cell Quality of Life Measurement Information System (ASCQ-Me) and the number of times within the past 12 months patients used different healthcare services for treatment of VOCs. Patients were stratified according to the number of VOCs they experienced within the past 12 months (0-3 VOCs; ≥4 VOCs) and the severity of their VOCs (ASCQ-Me pain severity score: ≥55; <55). Differences according to VOC frequency and severity were assessed for ASCQ-Me impact domains and measures of HCRU using Kruskal-Wallis tests. RESULTS: Patients with more frequent VOCs reported greater impacts on emotional functioning, social functioning, stiffness, sleep, and pain than patients with less frequent VOCs (p<.05 for all). No differences were observed in the number of times patients visited a healthcare provider (e.g. primary care provider or walk-in clinic) for VOCs (p=.087). Patients with more frequent VOCs reported a greater number of ER visits and overnight hospital stays over the past 12 months than patients with less frequent VOCs (p<.05 for all). Significant impacts on QoL and HCRU were observed when stratifying by VOC severity; the pattern of results was similar to those found when stratifying by VOC frequency. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with more frequent or severe VOCs experience deficits in multiple domains of QoL and utilize costlier healthcare services for treatment of VOCs. Future research should examine the impact of comorbidities or SCD-related complications on the relationship between VOCs and QoL or HCRU.