Burden of Sickle Cell Disease in Ghana: The Korle-Bu Experience.

In Africa, sickle cell disease (SCD) is a major public health problem with over 200,000 babies born per year. In Ghana, approximately 15,000 (2%) of Ghanaian newborns are diagnosed with SCD annually. A retrospective review of medical records of all SCD patients aged 13 years and above, who presented to the sickle cell clinic at Ghana Institute of Clinical Genetics (GICG), Korle-Bu, from 1st January 2013 to 31st December 2014, was carried out, using a data abstraction instrument to document their phenotypes, demographics, attendance/clinic visits, pattern of attendance, and common complications seen.