Sickle Cell Disease in Africa

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is common throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa, affecting up to 3% of births in some parts of the continent. Nevertheless, it remains a low priority for many health ministries. The most common form of SCD is caused by homozygosity for the β-globin S gene mutation (SS disease). It is widely believed that this condition is associated with very high child mortality, but reliable contemporary data are lacking. We have reviewed available African data on mortality associated with SS disease from published and unpublished sources, with an emphasis on two types of studies: cross-sectional population surveys and cohort studies. We have concluded that, although current data are inadequate to…

• WT
  Wellcome Trust
• AF
  Association for Prevention Teaching and Research
• EC
  European Commission
• CF
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

  Award: 09-NCBDDD-01
• NC
  National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities