Williams Thomas N
Department of Medicine, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, St Mary's Hospital, Praed Street, London W21N, UK; Department of Epidemiology and Demography, KEMRI/Wellcome Trust Research Programme, PO Box 230, Kilifi, Kenya.
Hematol Oncol Clin North Am. 2016 Apr;30(2):343-58. doi: 10.1016/j.hoc.2015.11.005. Epub 2016 Jan 28.
In Africa, at least 240,000 children are born each year with sickle cell disease. Historically, in the absence of newborn screening and appropriate treatment, most such children died undiagnosed in early childhood. However, with increasing awareness of the condition and economic and epidemiologic transition, increasing numbers are surviving. Greater investments in basic and applied research in the African context, and increased sensitization or African ministries of health regarding the importance of this condition, could make a substantial difference to the lives and livelihoods of millions of people living with sickle cell disease on the continent and their families.
在非洲，每年至少有24万名儿童出生时患有镰状细胞病。从历史上看，由于缺乏新生儿筛查和适当治疗，大多数此类儿童在幼儿期未被诊断就死亡了。然而，随着对这种疾病的认识不断提高以及经济和流行病学的转变，存活下来的儿童数量在增加。在非洲背景下加大对基础研究和应用研究的投入，以及提高非洲各国卫生部对这种疾病重要性的认识，可能会对数百万生活在非洲大陆的镰状细胞病患者及其家庭的生活和生计产生重大影响。
