Trial reportThe New England journal of medicine2019
Hydroxyurea for Children with Sickle Cell Anemia in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Registry-linked trialAbstract readClinical Trial, Phase IClinical Trial, Phase IIMulticenter Study
In one paragraph
Trial report in The New England journal of medicine, 2019. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01966731 (REALIZING EFFECTIVENESS ACROSS CONTINENTS WITH HYDROXYUREA), which is not on this map. Cited by 191 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
191citing papers in PubMed, 6 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Realizing effectiveness across continents with hydroxyurea (reach): a phase i/ii pilot study of hydroxyurea for children with sickle cell anemia
Who cites it
191 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- CRISPR/Cas9 System as a Promising Therapy in Thalassemia and Sickle Cell Disease: A Systematic Review of Clinical Trials.Molecular biotechnology · 2026Pooled it
- Clinical and Genetic Predictors of Sickle Cell Nephropathy: A Global Systematic Review.Omics : a journal of integrative biology · 2025Pooled it
- Use of hydroxyurea in French-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa.Annals of hematology · 2025Guideline
- Frequency of red blood cell allo-immunization in transfused patients with sickle cell disease in Africa: a systematic review with meta-analysis.African health sciences · 2024Pooled it
- Hydroxyurea at escalated dose versus fixed low-dose hydroxyurea in adults with sickle cell disease.European journal of haematology · 2024Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Growth and puberty in African children with sickle cell anemia treated with hydroxyurea.Blood advances · 2026Trial
- Hydroxyurea for Children and Adults with Hemoglobin SC Disease.NEJM evidence · 2025Trial
- Hydroxyurea dose optimisation for children with sickle cell anaemia in sub-Saharan Africa (REACH): extended follow-up of a multicentre, open-label, phase 1/2 trial.The Lancet. Haematology · 2024Trial
- Reducing transfusion utilization for children with sickle cell anemia in sub-Saharan Africa with hydroxyurea: Analysis from the phase I/II REACH trial.American journal of hematology · 2024Trial
- Feasibility trial for the management of severe acute malnutrition in older children with sickle cell anemia in Nigeria.Blood advances · 2023Trial
- Zinc for infection prevention in children with sickle cell anemia: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial.Blood advances · 2023Trial
- Hydroxyurea with dose escalation for primary stroke risk reduction in children with sickle cell anaemia in Tanzania (SPHERE): an open-label, phase 2 trial.The Lancet. Haematology · 2023Trial
- Stroke Prevention with Hydroxyurea Enabled through Research and Education: A Phase 2 Primary Stroke Prevention Trial in Sub-Saharan Africa.Acta haematologica · 2023Trial
- Hydroxyurea for primary stroke prevention in children with sickle cell anaemia in Nigeria (SPRING): a double-blind, multicentre, randomised, phase 3 trial.The Lancet. Haematology · 2022Trial
- Evaluation of hydroxyurea effect in patients with sickle cell disease: A prospective observational study.Indian journal of pharmacology · 2026Observational
- Global research trends and influential contributions in sickle cell disease: a bibliometric analysis of the top 100 cited papers.Journal of community genetics · 2026Review
- Evaluation of The Use of Hydroxyurea in Treating Children With Sickle Cell Anemia in Central Africa's Rural Area.EJHaem · 2026Article
- Vitamin D Deficiency as a Potential Modifier of Hematological Outcomes and Vaso-Occlusive Crisis Frequency in Sickle Cell Disease: Evidence from a Sudanese Cohort.Biomedicines · 2026Article
- Review
131 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
12 authors.
Léon TshiloloFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).ORCID 0000-0002-6318-0227
George TomlinsonFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).ORCID 0000-0002-9328-6399
Thomas N WilliamsFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).ORCID 0000-0003-4456-2382
Brígida SantosFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).
Peter Olupot-OlupotFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).
Adam LaneFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).
Banu AygunFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).
Susan E StuberFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).
Teresa S LathamFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).
Patrick T McGannFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).ORCID 0000-0001-6198-4785
Russell E WareFrom Centre Hospitalier Monkole, Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (L.T.); the Department of Medicine, University Health Network and Mt. Sinai Hospital, and the University of Toronto, Toronto (G.T.); the Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI)-Wellcome Trust Research Program, Kilifi, Kenya (T.N.W.); the Department of Medicine, Imperial College London, London (T.N.W.); Hospital Pediátrico David Bernardino, Luanda, Angola (B.S.); Mbale Clinical Research Institute and Mbale Regional Referral and Teaching Hospital-Busitema University, Mbale, Uganda (P.O.-O.); the Division of Hematology, Department of Pediatrics, Cincinnati Children's Hospital (A.L., S.E.S., T.S.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine (A.L., P.T.M., R.E.W.), and the Global Health Center, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (S.E.S., P.T.M., R.E.W.), Cincinnati; and Cohen Children's Medical Center, New Hyde Park, and the Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell, Hempstead - both in New York (B.A.).ORCID 0000-0001-9582-0594
REACH Investigators
Funding
Realizing Effectiveness Across Continents with Hydroxyurea(REACH): A Phase I/II Pilot Study of Hyroxyurea for Children with Sickle Cell AnemiaU01HL133883 · NHLBI · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · PI Russell E Ware · 2017 to 2026
$10.6MTherapeutic Response Evaluation and Adherence Trial: A Prospective Study of Hydroxyurea for Children with Sickle Cell AnemiaK23HL128885 · NHLBI · CINCINNATI CHILDRENS HOSP MED CTR · PI MCGANN, PATRICK THOMAS · 2015 to 2019
$910kNHLBI NIH HHS K23 HL128885NHLBI NIH HHS U01 HL133883Wellcome TrustWellcome Trust 091758Wellcome Trust 202800
Abstract
backgroundHydroxyurea is an effective treatment for sickle cell anemia, but few studies have been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa, where the burden is greatest. Coexisting conditions such as malnutrition and malaria may affect the feasibility, safety, and benefits of hydroxyurea in low-resource settings.
methodsWe enrolled children 1 to 10 years of age with sickle cell anemia in four sub-Saharan countries. Children received hydroxyurea at a dose of 15 to 20 mg per kilogram of body weight per day for 6 months, followed by dose escalation. The end points assessed feasibility (enrollment, retention, and adherence), safety (dose levels, toxic effects, and malaria), and benefits (laboratory variables, sickle cell-related events, transfusions, and survival).
resultsA total of 635 children were fully enrolled; 606 children completed screening and began receiving hydroxyurea at a mean (±SD) dose of 17.5±1.8 mg per kilogram per day. The retention rate was 94.2% at 3 years of treatment. Hydroxyurea therapy led to significant increases in both the hemoglobin and fetal hemoglobin levels. Dose-limiting toxic events regarding laboratory variables occurred in 5.1% of the participants, which was below the protocol-specified threshold for safety. During the treatment phase, 20.6 dose-limiting toxic effects per 100 patient-years occurred, as compared with 20.7 events per 100 patient-years before treatment. As compared with the pretreatment period, the rates of clinical adverse events decreased with hydroxyurea use, including rates of vaso-occlusive pain (98.3 vs. 44.6 events per 100 patient-years; incidence rate ratio, 0.45; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.37 to 0.56), nonmalaria infection (142.5 vs. 90.0 events per 100 patient-years; incidence rate ratio, 0.62; 95% CI, 0.53 to 0.72), malaria (46.9 vs. 22.9 events per 100 patient-years; incidence rate ratio, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.37 to 0.66), transfusion (43.3 vs. 14.2 events per 100 patient-years; incidence rate ratio, 0.33; 95% CI, 0.23 to 0.47), and death (3.6 vs. 1.1 deaths per 100 patient-years; incidence rate ratio, 0.30; 95% CI, 0.10 to 0.88).
conclusionsHydroxyurea treatment was feasible and safe in children with sickle cell anemia living in sub-Saharan Africa. Hydroxyurea use reduced the incidence of vaso-occlusive events, infections, malaria, transfusions, and death, which supports the need for wider access to treatment. (Funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and others; REACH ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01966731 .).
Indexed as
Africa South of the SaharaAnemia, Sickle CellAntisickling AgentsChildChild, PreschoolDose-Response Relationship, DrugHumansHydroxyureaInfantMalariaNeglected DiseasesPainAntisickling AgentsHydroxyurea
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Registered trials
NCT01966731ClinicalTrials.gov
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.