Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36712580›Full record

ArticleJournal of blood medicine2023

Outcomes of Hydroxyurea Accessed via Various Means and Barriers Affecting Its Usage Among Children with Sickle Cell Anaemia in North-Western Tanzania.

Emmanuela E Ambrose, Benson R Kidenya, Mwesige Charles, Joyce Ndunguru, Agnes Jonathan, Julie Makani, Irene K Minja, Paschal Ruggajo, Emmanuel Balandya

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of blood medicine, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 9 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
9citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
2.9field-weighted citation impact, top 10% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

9 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Pooled it
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  4. Review
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

9 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Emmanuela E AmbroseDepartment of Paediatrics and Child Health, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania.ORCID 0000-0001-6225-6448
Benson R KidenyaDepartment of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Catholic University of Health and Allied Sciences, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Mwesige CharlesDepartment of Laboratory Services, Bugando Medical Centre, Mwanza, Tanzania.
Joyce NdunguruDepartment of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Agnes JonathanDepartment of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Julie MakaniDepartment of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.ORCID 0000-0002-4801-6250
Irene K MinjaDepartment of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Paschal RuggajoDepartment of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
Emmanuel BalandyaDepartment of Haematology and Blood Transfusion, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.ORCID 0000-0002-3707-9985
Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences · TZCatholic University of Health and Allied Sciences · TZBugando Medical Centre · TZ

Funding

The Sickle Pan-African Research Consortium (SPARCO)U24HL135881 · NHLBI · MUHIMBILI UNIVERSITY/ ALLIED HLTH SCIS · PI MAKANI, JULIE · 2017 to 2025
$5.3M
Sickle Pan-African Research Consortium (SPARCO)- TanzaniaU01HL156853 · NHLBI · MUHIMBILI UNIVERSITY/ ALLIED HLTH SCIS · PI BALANDYA, EMMANUEL · 2021 to 2025
$1.5M
NHLBI NIH HHS U01 HL156853NHLBI NIH HHS U24 HL135881
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Purpose: To assess clinical and haematological outcomes of Hydroxyurea accessed via various access means and uncover the barriers to its utilization in children with Sickle cell anaemia (SCA), North-western Tanzania. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted between October 2020 and April 2021 at Bugando Medical Centre (BMC) through review of medical files to compare the clinical and haematological outcomes among children with SCA at baseline and followed up retrospectively for at least one year of hydroxyurea utilization, accessed via cash, insurance and projects. Subsequently, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among parents and caregivers to ascertain the barriers to access of hydroxyurea via the various means. The p-values <0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results: We identified 87 children with SCA who were on hydroxyurea for at least one year. The median age at baseline (before hydroxyurea) was 99 [78-151] months, and 52/87 (59.8%) were male. Compared to baseline, there was a significant reduction in proportion of patients reporting vaso-occlusive crisis, admissions and blood transfusions, a significant increase in Haemoglobin and mean corpuscular volume, conversely a significant reduction in absolute neutrophil and reticulocytes to both insurance and project participants. There was no significant change in most of these parameters among patients who accessed hydroxyurea via cash. Further, a total of 24/87 (27.6%) participants reported different barriers to access of hydroxyurea, where 10/24 (41.7%) reported hydroxyurea to be very expensive, 10/24 (41.7%) reported insurance challenges, and 4/21 (16.6%) reported unavailability of the drug. Conclusion: The paediatric patients utilizing hydroxyurea accessed via insurance and projects, but not cash, experienced significant improvement in the clinical and haematological outcomes. Several barriers for access to hydroxyurea were observed which appeared to impact these outcomes. These findings call for concerted efforts to improve the sustainable access to hydroxyurea among all patients with SCA.

Indexed as

accesshydroxyureaNorth-western Tanzaniaoutcomessickle cell anaemia

Identifiers

PMID36712580
PMCPMC9875573
OpenAlexW4318542438

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY-NC
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Registered trials

None linked

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.