Spotlight on sickle cell disease around the world

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Sickle cell disease is imposing a huge global burden, experts warn today.

A new Commission, established by the Lancet Haematology, points to global, regional, and national prevalence and mortality burden of sickle cell disease.

The editors state: "Sickle cell disease has remained neglected in the global health agenda for decades, even though the World Health Organization declared it a public health priority in 2006.

"Often disregarded as a rare genetic disease, sickle cell disease is a life-threatening condition that affects millions of people worldwide."

They explain that the burden of disease is in low- and middle-income countries, and a lack of proper surveillance "has negatively impacted the allocation of resources for the disease".

The global costs are enormous, estimated by The Economist at over 9bn US dollars per year in sub- Saharan Africa alone.

A new study, part of the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2021, assessed the disease in 204 countries from 2000 to 2021.