Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40776450›Full record

ArticleBritish journal of haematology2025

Effectiveness of hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide) in a national sickle cell disease programme in Ghana.

Duah Dwomoh, Daniel Nana Yaw Abankwah, Amma A Benneh-Akwasi Kuma, Jonathan Quartey, Kwaku Marfo, Jonathan Spector, Etta Forson Addo, Olufolake Egbujo, Solomon Fiifi Ofori-Acquah, Kwaku Ohene-Frempong and 1 more

Abstract read
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In one paragraph

Article in British journal of haematology, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
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

11 authors.

Duah DwomohDepartment of Biostatistics, University of Ghana School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2726-9929
Daniel Nana Yaw AbankwahDepartment of Health Policy Planning and Management, University of Ghana School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Amma A Benneh-Akwasi KumaDepartment of Haematology, University of Ghana Medical School, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Jonathan QuarteyDepartment of Physiotherapy, University of Ghana School of Biomedical and Allied Health Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Kwaku MarfoIQVIA Research and Development Solutions, Accra, Ghana.
Jonathan SpectorNovartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, Inc., Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA.
Etta Forson AddoSickle Cell Foundation of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Olufolake EgbujoNovartis Pharmaceutical Corporation, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Solomon Fiifi Ofori-AcquahSickle Cell Foundation of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Kwaku Ohene-FrempongSickle Cell Foundation of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.
Justice NonvignonDepartment of Health Policy Planning and Management, University of Ghana School of Public Health, College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana.

Funding

Novartis
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Hydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide; HU) has been shown to be a safe and effective drug for individuals living with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Africa. However, reports of large-scale use of HU outside of controlled trial settings are limited on the continent. Access to HU in Ghana has improved through a major public-private partnership aimed at enhancing holistic care for communities affected by SCD. We evaluated the effectiveness of this programme through the measurement of biomarkers identified from health records, changes in clinical outcomes and quality of life (QoL) reported through interviews with participants and/or caregivers. The haemoglobin (Hb) levels of participants enrolled in the programme between September 2019 and July 2023 (n = 1549) increased on average by 0.55 g/dL (p < 0.001), with 9.2% of participants achieving Hb ≥10 g/dL. Six hundred participants and caregivers interviewed from April to November 2023 reported a significant reduction in the number of pain crises, malarial episodes, incidence of blood transfusions and rate of hospitalisations. Adults and children with SCD reported improved QoL in areas of physical, emotional, social and school-related functioning. Lessons learned are expected to inform future efforts in Ghana and may support HU access programmes in other countries where SCD is highly endemic.

Indexed as

Anemia, Sickle CellAntisickling AgentsHydroxyureaAdolescentAdultChildChild, PreschoolFemaleGhanaHumansMaleMiddle AgedQuality of LifeYoung AdultAntisickling AgentsHydroxyureaGhanahaemoglobinhydroxyurea (hydroxycarbamide)quality of lifesickle cell disease

Identifiers

PMID40776450
PMCPMC12624180

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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.