Survival in Sickle Cell Disease: Data from a Well-Resourced, National Health System Setting

Background: In well-resourced countries, early mortality in sickle cell disease (SCD) is no longer a major feature, thus the burden of SCD mortality has shifted to adults. Recent data on patients with SCD in USA confirmed continuing improvement in adult survival, attributed to better preventative care. Health economics may play a key role in clinical outcome in SCD; we hypothesise that survival would be longer in a system which is not insurance based. King's College Hospital, London, UK has a large SCD cohort in a well-resourced setting within a national health service framework.