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People with sickle cell disease need better services

BMJ 1994; 308 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.308.6929.616 (Published 05 March 1994) Cite this as: BMJ 1994;308:616
  1. L Dillner

    People with sickle cell disease and other haemoglobinopathies in Britain do not always get the best treatment, says a report from the Standing Medical Advisory Committee. Children suffering from these disorders are often not given penicillin prophylaxis to prevent pneumococcal infection, although this is one of the few interventions supported by research findings. The report, commissioned by the secretary of state for health, says that services are less than comprehensive, even in districts where these disorders are common.

    About 5000 people in Britain have sickle cell disease; most of them are Afro-Caribbean. Thalassaemia, mostly of the beta type and in …

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