{"id":3819,"date":"2021-10-05T22:52:48","date_gmt":"2021-10-05T22:52:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.kkltrust.org\/?p=3819"},"modified":"2022-10-31T16:35:36","modified_gmt":"2022-10-31T16:35:36","slug":"nhs-england-to-offer-breakthrough-treatment-for-sickle-cell-disease","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.kkltrust.org\/?p=3819","title":{"rendered":"First new treatment for sickle cell in 20 years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Thousands of patients in England are to benefit from the first treatment for sickle cell disease in two decades, the NHS has announced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Crizanlizumab, a \u201crevolutionary\u201d life-changing drug treatment, is delivered by a transfusion drip and works by binding to a protein in the blood cells to prevent the restriction of blood and oxygen supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The therapy, the first to become available for the disease in 20 years, will help at least 5,000 people over the next three years, officials said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sickle cell disease \u2013 particularly common in people with an African or Caribbean background \u2013 is a serious and lifelong health condition. It can cause severe pain and organ failure, often requiring hospital admissions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Current treatments to prevent sickle cell crises include a tablet called hydroxycarbamide and regular blood transfusions, but these are not always effective for people with severe forms of the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a historic moment for people with sickle cell disease who will be given their first new treatment in over two decades,\u201d said Amanda Pritchard, chief executive of NHS England. \u201cThis revolutionary treatment will help to save lives, allow patients to have a better quality of life and reduce trips to A&E by almost half.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People aged over 16 who suffer from multiple sickle cell crises every year will be eligible for the treatment. The disease is characterised by the production of unusually shaped red blood cells, which can cause serious health issues across the body, sending organs into crisis and causing extreme pain.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Sickle<\/a>
Sickle shaped cells can stick to blood vessel walls blocking the flow of oxygen to organs, causing excruciating pain episodes<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Toks Odesanmi, a sickle cell patient at Cambridge University hospitals trust, welcomed the arrival of the treatment and said it gave her new hope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSickle cell disease has defined me, defined my body and made a big dent to my dreams,\u201d said Odesanmi, 47, a finance specialist from Colchester. \u201cNo matter how hard I fight, it continues to defeat me. A new treatment brings hope and might make dreaming possible again.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sickle Cell Society<\/a> chair Kye Gbangbola said: \u201cA new treatment brings new hope for people living with sickle cell disorder, the world\u2019s most common genetic blood condition. SCD is a medical emergency, it causes excruciating pain. This new treatment will reduce the number of agonising pain episodes we have to endure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe hope is improved quality of life for many living with the condition and their families.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2018EVERY DAY IS PAIN\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
\"First<\/a>
sarah jane<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Diagnosed at birth, Sarah-Jane Nkrumah, 27, had her first crisis aged six months and has chronic pain in her joints.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cEvery day is pain,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t remember the last time I had zero pain.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah-Jane prefers to take breaks from taking painkillers \u2013 but some days cannot get out of bed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou just have to try and manage it,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t have a choice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s all about having a lot of mental strength and support.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And every six weeks, she has a blood transfusion to boost her energy levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel weak and exhausted leading up to them and refreshed and stronger afterwards,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks to donors, I get a chance to live another day.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sarah-Jane had to give up her ambition to become a nursery teacher because it put her at risk of serious infection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow, I have found my true purpose and love spreading awareness of sickle-cell disease,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Meindert Boysen, deputy chief executive and director of the Centre for Health Technology Evaluation, at NICE, said: \u201cTreatment for sickle-cell disease has been limited for years and there has been a lack of treatments for patients whose lives are affected by the condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCrizanlizumab\u2026 has shown the potential to improve hundreds of lives and we are delighted to be able to recommend it as the first new treatment for sickle cell disease in two decades.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

WHAT IS SICKLE CELL DISEASE?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
  • It is inherited from both parents, who pass on a particular gene<\/li>
  • It is possible to carry the gene without having the disease<\/li>
  • Nearly 300 babies are born with it each year in the UK<\/li>
  • A simple blood test will show whether someone has it<\/li>
  • Children with sickle cell are at greater risk of stroke<\/li>
  • Other symptoms can include serious infections, anaemia and tiredness<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Source: BBC<\/em> & The Guardian<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Thousands of patients in England are to benefit from the first treatment for sickle cell disease in two decades, the NHS has announced. Crizanlizumab, a \u201crevolutionary\u201d life-changing drug treatment, is delivered by a transfusion drip and works by binding to a protein in the blood cells to prevent the restriction of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3821,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[89,88],"class_list":["post-3819","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-sickle-cell-disease","tag-treatment-for-sickle-cell-disease"],"yoast_head":"\nFirst new treatment for sickle cell in 20 years - Kevin Kararwa Leukaemia Trust<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.kkltrust.org\/?p=3819\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"First new treatment for sickle cell in 20 years\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Thousands of patients in England are to benefit from the first treatment for sickle cell disease in two decades, the NHS has announced. 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