Management of sickle cell disease: current practices and challenges in a northeastern region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo

Figures & data

Figure 1. Participant recruitment.

Table 1. Social demographics and medical story of 198 participants.

Characteristics	Number	Percent
Sex
Female	103	52
Male	95	48
Age (years)
<16	130	65.7
≥16	68	34.3
Mean, SD	13.74	9.34
Min, Max	2	74
Diagnosis made on the basis of
Clinical manifestations and history of SCD in the family	12	6.1
Emmel test	85	42.9
Hb electrophoresis	24	12.1
Don’t know	77	38.9
History of blood transfusion
Yes	157	79.3
No	34	17.2
Don’t know	7	3.5
Indication of blood transfusion (n = 157)
Anemia	118	75.2
Pain crisis	12	7.6
Don’t know	27	17.2
Transfusion with blood from one of the parents (n = 157)
Yes	72	45.8
No	59	37.6
Don’t know	26	16.6
Type of transfusion
Episodic transfusion	157	100
Chronic transfusion (simple/red cell exchange)	0	0

Note: SD, Standard deviation; MIN, Minimum; MAX, Maximum; Hb, Hemoglobin.

Table 2. Distribution of 198 participants according to whether they received specific therapy, immunization, and anti-infectious chemoprophylaxis.

Variable	Yes	No	Don’t know
	n (%)	n (%)	n (%)
Specific therapy
Folic acid intake^a	96 (48.5)	69 (34.8)	33 (16.7)
Hydroxyurea intake	10 (5.1)	188 (94.9)	0 (0)
Immunization
Against Pneumococcus (PCV-13)^b	27 (13.6)	160 (80.8)	11 (5.6)
Against Haemophilus influenzae^b	56 (28.3)	131 (66.2)	11 (5.5)
Against Salmonella sp	0 (0)	188 (94.9)	10 (5.1)
Chemoprophylaxis
Penicillin prophylaxis	3 (1.5)	195 (98.5)	0 (0)
Antimalarial prophylaxis^a	23 (11.6)	153 (77.3)	22 (11.1)

Note: PCV, Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine.

^a Irregular intake.

^b Received during EPI campaigns (EPI, Expanded Program on Immunization).