What is the usual treatment for sickle cell disease?
There is no specific treatment for SCD. Symptoms are treated as and when they occur. However, attempts are made to prevent infection by giving routine antibiotics once or twice daily from three months of age, right through childhood when infections are most common. Some doctors also advise folic acid which is a mineral needed for making red blood cells. Because children with SCD do not develop good immunity it is important for them to have the full childhood immunisations. In addition they are also given a special vaccination, Pneumovax, between 8-24 months, which gives additional protection against infection. This vaccine is then given every five years, even in adulthood. Do iron tablets help? Although this condition is called ‘anaemia’ it is not the same as iron deficiency anaemia, where a person does not have enough iron in the body for making red blood cells. Provided people with sickle cell disease eat a normal balanced diet they generally have enough iron in the body and sometime
