Sickle Cell Disease in East African Countries: Prevalence, Complications and Management

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common life-threatening monogenic disorders affecting millions of people worldwide. The disease has a high prevalence in malaria-endemic tropics, especially in sub-Saharan Africa. Although sickle-cell trait (SCT) offers protective advantage against malaria, it does not apply to homozygous individuals with sickle cell anemia but instead makes them more susceptible to not only malaria but to also other infections, causing a great deal of under-five mortality. Despite the fatal risks and high incidence rates of SCD, little attention is given, in terms of funding, management and surveillance, especially among East African countries. In addition, few works of literature exist, and less has been documented about the disease. This minireview aimed to report the current situation in terms of prevalence, mortality, diagnosis and management of SCD among East African countries; Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi. Kawuki et al.; JAMMR, 30(8): 1-9, 2019; Article no.JAMMR.51250 2 SCD is characterised by retarded growth, chronic pain attacks and severe organ damage leading to fatal complications. This, coupled with limited resources in East African countries, reduces the survival of SCD patients and most die before five years. SCD is detected through a blood test usually by Haemoglobin electrophoresis, and Hydroxyurea therapy, antibiotics and blood transfusion are used to prevent complications. Early childhood detection through comprehensive newborn screening programmes has been implemented in some countries and is key in the management of the disease. Mini-review Article

Knowledge and Practices of Caregivers Towards Home-Based Care of Sickle Cell Anaemia Among Children Below Ten Years of Age Attending Jinja Regional Referral Hospital, Jinja City

“…Concomitantly in a study conducted by E.P.K Ameade et al, out of 190 respondents assessed, 73 disagreed, 75 strongly agreed and 42 strongly disagreed. The findings indicated that 19 (63.33%) respondents knew the three symptoms of sickle cell crisis Contrary to the study by [17], only 99 respondents managed to answer correctly. According to findings,9(30%) can get married to someone with sickle cell yet…”

“…Other findings showed that the disease was more in married mothers .in contrary, a study by [15], showed that there was no significant association between the disease and marital status. knowledge of caregivers towards homebased care of SCA The findings indicated that 25 (83.33%) respondents had never heard about SCA.in relation, to the study by [16] and [17], 91.2% and 94.2% respectively. The findings showed that mothers had poor knowledge regarding home-based care of children with SCA.…”

“…68.7% of respondents can do so according to the study by[17] and[ 1 6] [ 2 2 ] [ 2 3] [ 2 4 ] [ 3 2 ] [ 3 3] .…”

Challenges Faced by Caregivers of Sickle Cell Disease Patients Attending Wellsprings Health Center Iii Kamutuuza, Kalungu District-Uganda: A Cross-Sectional Study.

“…In Uganda, a National Surveillance cross-sectional study by Ndeezi et al, (2016) reported that the prevalence of HbSS and HbAS was 0.7% and 13.3% respectively, and in Kenya, a 1.6% and 17.1% prevalence of HbSS and HbAS respectively and 4.5% SCD prevalence at Coast of Kenya (Komba et al, 2018). Generally, the low incidence is documented in highland areas, as in Rwanda and Burundi, owing to the lower malaria endemicity in such areas (Kawuki et al, 2019).…”