Can recent breakthroughs improve life with sickle cell disease?
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 1 out of every 365 Black people has sickle cell disease and the sickle cell trait affects 10% of Black people, compared to .3% of white people.
Although the disease disproportionately affects Black people, it also has been seen in Hispanic people and those of Middle Eastern descent.
Nearly 4,000 Pennsylvanians were reported to be living with sickle cell disease by the end of 2020, according to the state Sickle Cell Disease Community-Based Services and Support Program.
But recent medical achievements have made the mission of treating and even curing the disease a little more hopeful.
TribLive reporter Shaylah Brown brings a look inside the experience of a Pittsburgh family living with the effects of Sickle cell disease, the hope of a new treatment, and the barriers many will face while pursuing them.
This is ‘From the Newsroom.’
Zachary Gibson is a Tribune-Review digital producer. You can contact Zachary at zgibson@triblive.com.
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