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Journal Article
|Case Report/Series

Sickle cell disease in anaemic children in a Sierra Leonean district hospital: a case series

Italia MB, Kirolos S
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Abstract
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the most common inherited haemoglobinopathy wordwide, with the highest prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa. Due to the lack of national strategies and scarcity of diagnostic tools in resource-limited settings, the disease may be significantly underdiagnosed. We carried out a 6-month retrospective review of paediatric admissions in a district hospital in northern Sierra Leone. Our aim was to identify patients with severe anaemia, defined as Hb < 7 g/dl, and further analyse the records of those tested for SCD. Of the 273 patients identified, only 24.5% had had an Emmel test, among which 34.3% were positive. Furthermore, only 17% of patients with a positive Emmel test were discharged on prophylactic antibiotics. Our study shows that increased awareness of SCD symptoms is required in high-burden areas without established screening programmes. In addition, the creation or strengthening of follow-up programmes for SCD patients is essential for disease control.

Countries

Sierra Leone

Subject Area

diagnosticssickle cell disease

Languages

English
DOI
10.1093/omcr/omz061
Published Date
12 Jul 2019
PubMed ID
31312461
Journal
Oxford Medical Case Reports
Volume | Issue | Pages
Volume 2019, Issue 7, Pages omz061
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Sickle cell disease in anaemic children in a Sierra Leonean district hospital: a case series | Journal Article / Case Report/Series | MSF Science Portal