Sickle Cell Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa
In Africa, at least 240,000 children are born each year with sickle cell disease. Historically, in the absence of newborn screening and appropriate treatment, most such children died undiagnosed in…
The Present and Future Global Burden of the Inherited Disorders of Hemoglobin
The inherited disorders of hemoglobin represent the most common monogenic diseases. This article provides a brief description of the main inherited disorders of hemoglobin and their classification, and summarizes progress…
Iron Deficiency Anemia
Anemia is common among people living in low- and middle-income countries, and alleviation of the global burden of anemia is an essential global health target over the next decade. Estimates…
The Global Burden of Anemia
Anemia is an important cause of health loss. We estimated levels and trends of nonfatal anemia burden for 23 distinct etiologies in 188 countries, 20 age groups, and both sexes…
Introduction: The Complexity and Challenge of Preventing, Treating, and Managing Blood Diseases in the Developing Countries
Managing hematologic disorders in developing countries poses problems not encountered in Western societies. The clinical features of hematologic conditions may be modified by malnutrition, chronic bacterial infection, or parasitic illness….
Assessing the Rationale and Effectiveness of Frozen Plasma Transfusions
Frozen plasma is a commonly used blood product. The primary indications for frozen plasma are the treatment and prevention of bleeding in patients with prolonged coagulation tests. However, there is…
Red Blood Cell Antibodies in Hematology/Oncology Patients
Red blood cell (RBC) transfusion is a cornerstone of the management of patients with hematology/oncology disorders. However, a potentially deleterious consequence of transfusion is the development of alloantibodies against blood…
Transfusion Considerations in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Patients
Pediatric patients with malignancies or benign hematologic diseases are a heterogeneous group with complicated underlying pathophysiologies leading to their requirements for transfusion therapy. Common practice among pediatric hematologists, oncologists, and…
Management of Thrombotic Microangiopathic Hemolytic Anemias with Therapeutic Plasma Exchange
Thrombotic microangiopathies are a heterogeneous group of inherited and acquired disorders sharing a common clinical presentation of microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, thrombocytopenia, and organ damage. These disorders have been treated with…
Management of the Platelet Refractory Patient
Platelet refractoriness occurs when there is an inadequate response to platelet transfusions, which typically has nonimmune causes, but is also associated with alloantibodies to human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) and/or human…
