Title |
Recommendations for the management of sickle cell disease in South Africa.
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Published in |
South African Medical Journal, June 2014
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DOI | 10.7196/samj.8470 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Nazeer Ahmed Alli, Moosa Patel, Hassan Dawood Alli, Fatima Bassa, Marius J Coetzee, Alan Davidson, Mohammed Rafique Essop, Atul Lakha, Vernon J Louw, Nicolas Novitzky, Vinitha Philip, Janet Elizabeth Poole, Rosalind Wainwright |
Abstract |
The spectrum of sickle cell disease (SCD) encompasses a heterogeneous group of disorders that include: (I) homozygous SCD (HbSS), also referred to as sickle cell anaemia; (ii) heterozygous SCD (HbAS), also referred to as sickle cell trait; and (iii) compound heterozygous states such as HbSC disease, HbSβ thalassaemia, etc. Homozygous or compound heterozygous SCD patients manifest with clinical disease of varying severity that is influenced by biological and environmental factors, whereas subject with sickle cell trait are largely asymptomatic. SCD is characterized by vaso-occlusive episodes that result in tissue ischaemia and pain in the affected region. Repeated infarctive episodes cause organ damage and may eventually lead to organ failure. For effective management, regular follow-up with support from a multidisciplinary healthcare team is necessary. The chronic nature of the disease, the steady increase in patient numbers, and relapsing acute episodes have cost implications that are likely to impact on provincial and national health budgets. Limited resources mandate local management protocols for the purposes of consistency and standardisation, which could also facilitate sharing of resources between centres for maximal utility. These recommendations have been developed for the South African setting, and it is intended to update them regularly to meet new demands and challenges. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Members of the public | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Unknown | 79 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Student > Master | 16 | 20% |
Researcher | 12 | 15% |
Student > Bachelor | 8 | 10% |
Other | 7 | 9% |
Student > Postgraduate | 5 | 6% |
Other | 13 | 16% |
Unknown | 18 | 23% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
---|---|---|
Medicine and Dentistry | 35 | 44% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 5 | 6% |
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology | 4 | 5% |
Agricultural and Biological Sciences | 3 | 4% |
Economics, Econometrics and Finance | 3 | 4% |
Other | 11 | 14% |
Unknown | 18 | 23% |