Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Managing Sickle Cell Disease

Questions to Ask Your Doctor about Managing Sickle Cell Disease

September 9, 2015

By: Dr. Joylene John-Sowah, M.D., M.P.H., National Institutes of Health

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) describes a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. People with SCD have abnormal hemoglobin, called hemoglobin S or sickle hemoglobin, in their red blood cells. Sickle cell disease is a painful and potentially fatal disease that affects approximately 100,000 Americans, mostly African-Americans, every year. We’ve struggled for years to find a cure and treatments, and the latest news is encouraging. Bone marrow stem cell transplantation represents the strongest potential cure for sickle cell disease, but scientists are still working to refine this therapy so that it can ultimately be widely available. For now, it is still important for patients and their families to obtain as much medical knowledge as possible about this potentially debilitating genetic condition so they can live the healthiest, pain-free lives possible. Speak with your health care provider to come up with a plan for preventing or reducing the complications of sickle cell disease, such as severe pain, infections, and stroke.

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