Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2023 May 31:14:367-376.
doi: 10.2147/JBM.S406196. eCollection 2023.

A Critical Review of Sickle Cell Disease Burden and Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa

Obi Peter Adigwe  1 , Solomon Oloche Onoja  2 , Godspower Onavbavba  1
Affiliations
Review

A Critical Review of Sickle Cell Disease Burden and Challenges in Sub-Saharan Africa

Obi Peter Adigwe et al. J Blood Med. .

Abstract

Sickle cell disease is caused by an abnormality of the β-globin gene and is characterised by sickling of the red blood cells. Globally, sub-Saharan African countries share the highest burden of the disease. This study aimed at critically reviewing studies focusing on challenges of sickle cell anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa. A literature search was carried out in five major databases. Articles that met the inclusion criteria were included in the bibliometric review and critical analysis. A majority of the studies were undertaken in the West African region (85.5%), followed by Central Africa (9.1%). Very few studies had been undertaken in East Africa (3.6%), whilst the Southern African region had the fewest studies (1.8%). Distribution in relation to country revealed that three quarters of the studies were carried out in Nigeria (74.5%), followed by the Democratic Republic of the Congo (9.1%). According to healthcare settings, a strong majority of the studies were undertaken in tertiary health care facilities (92.7%). Major themes that emerged from the review include interventions, cost of treatment, and knowledge about sickle cell disease. Public health awareness and promotion as well as improving the quality of sickle cell centers for prompt management of patients with sickle cell disorder was identified as a critical strategy towards reducing the burden of the disease in sub-Saharan Africa. To achieve this, governments in countries located in this region need to adopt a proactive strategy in addressing gaps that have been identified in this study, as well as instituting other relevant measures, such as continuous media engagement and public health interventions relating to genetic counselling. Reforms in other areas that can help reduce the disease burden, include training of practitioners and equipping sickle cell disease treatment centers according to World Health Organization specifications.

Keywords: genetics; genotype; haemoglobin; interventions; sickle cell anaemia.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Review flow diagram.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of studies based on healthcare settings.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Geographic spread of studies.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Publications by countries.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Distribution of studies according to year of publication.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Ugwu NI. Sickle cell disease: awareness, knowledge and attitude among undergraduate students of a Nigerian tertiary educational institution. Asian J Med Sci. 2016;7(5):87–92. doi: 10.3126/ajms.v7i5.15044 - DOI
    1. Onoja SO, Eluke BC, Dangana A, Musa S, Abdullah IN. Evaluation of von Willebrand factor and other coagulation homeostasis profile of patients with sickle cell anemia attending a tertiary hospital at Enugu, Nigeria. Med J Zambia. 2020;47(4):269–275. doi: 10.55320/mjz.47.4.715 - DOI
    1. Aliyu ZY, Kato GJ, Taylor J, et al. Sickle cell disease and pulmonary hypertension in Africa: a global perspective and review of epidemiology, pathophysiology, and management. Am J Hematol. 2008;83(1):63–70. doi: 10.1002/ajh.21057 - DOI - PubMed
    1. De Franceschi L, Cappellini MD, Olivieri O. Thrombosis and sickle cell disease. InSeminars in thrombosis and hemostasis. Thieme Med Pub. 2011;37(3):226–236. doi: 10.1055/s-0031-1273087 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Malowany JI, Butany J. Pathology of sickle cell disease. Semin Diagn Pathol. 2012;29(1):49–55. doi: 10.1053/j.semdp.2011.07.005 - DOI - PubMed