What is the outlook for someone with sickle cell disease?
Generally much better than in the past. Many descriptions of the disease were based only on seriously ill patients in hospital, while mild cases of the disease remained unrecognised in the community. It is now known that in the Caribbean there are many patients with the disease who may never visit hospital and the true picture of sickle cell disease must include these as well as seriously affected patients. Furthermore, there is evidence that the disease is becoming less serious with the improving socio-economic conditions in the Caribbean. Survival beyond the age of 30 years used to be considered unusual in SS disease but now many people live beyond this age and patients over 60 years are not uncommon. It should be remembered that most patients with sickle cell disease have reasonable health for much of the time and only occasionally do serious complications or crises occur. The period of greatest risk is early childhood and to provide special observation and treatment during this per
