Drugs Effective Against Sickle Cell Anemia Are Available
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Individuals suffering from acute attacks of sickle cell anemia can receive the drug hydroxyurea from their physician as treatment for the debilitating blood disorder.
Federal health officials recently found that hydroxyurea was effective in reducing the frequency of painful sickle cell anemia attacks. Daily doses of the drug also helped lower the need for hospitalization, according to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, which released the test results Jan. 30.
Although hydroxyurea is not a cure, it is the first effective treatment for sickle cell anemia, said Dr. Claude Lenfant, director of the institute.
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease most commonly occurring in people with genetic connections to Africa, the Middle East, the Mediterranean basin and India.
About 72,000 African Americans in the U.S. have the disease, according to the World Health Organization. An estimated 2,000 people in Los Angeles, the majority of them African American, have sickle cell, said Deborah Jones of the Crenshaw-based Sickle Cell Disease Research Foundation. One in every 10 African Americans in L.A. carries the genetic trait. One out of 185 Latinos in California has the genetic trait.
Jones said physicians are determining the criteria for treatment. She said people who suffer from three or more severe attacks a year and whose lives are seriously affected by sickle cell will most likely be eligible.
The drug does cause side effects, including mild but reversible bone marrow suppression that can lead to a serious decrease in blood counts, researchers said.
Researchers emphasized that hydroxyurea should not be prescribed for children because no studies have been conducted on the effects of the drug on children. Studies in children are expected to begin soon.
Those interested in receiving information on treatment can call:
* Martin Luther King Jr.-Drew Medical Center Sickle Cell Center: (310) 668-3164 or (310) 668-3167.
* The Sickle Cell Disease Research Foundation: (213) 299-3600.
* Sickle Cell Disease Assn. of America: (213) 736-5455.
* Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center, comprehensive sickle cell center: (213) 342-1259.
