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Treatments for Sickle Cell Disease by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD

There are no treatments to cure sickle cell disease. Instead, treatment is aimed at managing the various symptoms in an effort to minimize complications. The goals of treatment include:

Managing acute crisis episodes
Managing chronic pain
Managing anemia
Preventing and treating infections
Managing complications and organ damage

Treatments include:

New treatments under investigation include:

Gene therapy
Combination of clotrimazole and magnesium

References:

Cecil Textbook of Medicine . 22nd ed. W.B. Saunders Company; 2003.
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ .
Sickle Cell Disease Association of America website. Available at: http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/ .
Weiner CM. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine . 17th ed. New York, NY: McGraw – Hill; 2008.

Last reviewed October 2012 by Michael Woods, MD

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Treatments for Sickle Cell Disease by Rosalyn Carson-DeWitt, MD

References:

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