Sickle cell chronic pulmonary disease among Africans: the need for increased recognition and treatment
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Date
2008
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Publisher
Pan African Thoracic Society
Abstract
The pulmonary complications of sickle cell disease
(SCD) among adults are expected to increase since
more of them are expected to survive into adulthood
with improved healthcare delivery systems. Such
complications, especially the chronic ones, which are
usually collectively referred to as SCCLD (sickle cell
chronic lung disease), are often under-appreciated by
healthcare providers in sub-Saharan Africa. However,
results of recent work in Nigeria show that SCCLD
might not be as uncommon as previously thought. It
is very important to detect SCCLD at an early stage,
which is usually asymptomatic; the late stages are not
usually responsive to conventional treatment. In Africa,
outline spirometry can be used as a screening test for
asymptomatic SCCLD in the follow-up of SCD. Patients
with asymptomatic SCCLD should be offered measures
that can prevent further deterioration of their condition,
while those with more advanced symptomatic disease
are treated symptomatically.