"BACKGROUND: Malaria is the most common precipitating cause of crises in sickle cell disease in malaria-endemic countries. Health professionals often recommend life-long malaria chemoprophylaxis for people with sickle cell disease living in these areas. It is therefore important we have good evidence of benefit."

Only two studies, including a total of 223 children, met the inclusion criteria. The results favored the use of malaria prophylaxis, with reduced frequency of pain crises, hospital admissions, and blood transfusions. The drugs used for prophylaxis are not stated in the abstract.

This is indeed an important research question. These results from only two studies (one in Nigeria, one in Uganda) clearly favor prophylaxis, but I think we need considerably more information about the conditions of the trials, the agents used, the current usefulness of different agents used for prophylaxis, etc.

Malaria chemoprophylaxis in sickle cell disease. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2006 Oct 18;(4):CD003489. [This publication does not have full text access available through Hinari.]

Keywords : Sickle cell, disease, malaria, prophylaxis, Africa.

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