Cochrane

Review question What is the effect of hydroxyurea on clinical outcomes (changes in pain crises, life-threatening illnesses, survival, haemoglobin levels, quality of life and side effects) in people with sickle cell disease (SCD) of any genotype? Background SCD is an inherited genetic disorder that creates problems with haemoglobin (the substance ...

Review question We wished to determine if any educational interventions have helped people with sickle cell disease and their caregivers to improve their understanding of the disease, recognize its complications, improve their adherence to treatment, affect how they utilize healthcare and improve other social and psychological problems that they might ...

Review question: Is iron alone or iron as a supplement to erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) superior to ESAs alone in the management of people diagnosed with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA)? Background: The current treatment of CIA is ESAs, which increase the production of red blood cells (erythropoiesis), and in some cases ESAs and iron. ...

Researchers in the Cochrane Collaboration conducted a review of the effect of different strategies to increase people’s ownership and use of insecticide-treated bednets to prevent malaria. In February 2013 they identified 10 relevant studies. Their findings are summarized below. What is malaria and how can insecticide-treated bednets prevent it? Malaria ...

Children living in malaria areas may develop severe anaemia, often caused by malaria infection, and this can cause death if not treated properly. Intermittent preventive treatment (IPT) is a course of malaria treatment given regularly to these children in order to prevent infection and malaria illness. It has been suggested that IPT could be used to ...

Review question We reviewed evidence about the effect of immune tolerance induction to remove inhibitors in people with haemophilia A and B. Background Haemophilia A and B are inherited bleeding disorders, where affected people are missing a clotting factor in their blood, which is needed for normal blood clotting. Without this factor, people with ...

Fever is common in malarial areas, and getting the diagnosis right (ie deciding if it is due to malaria or other causes) and treating correctly helps save lives, particularly in children. The World Health Organization (WHO) now recommends that all patients with fever suspected of being malaria are properly diagnosed before any treatment begins. This ...

Using a pilot system we have categorised this review as: Current question - no update intended (topic covered in another review. Refer to: Sinclair D, Zani B, Donegan S, Olliaro P, Garner P. Artemisinin-based combination therapy for treating uncomplicated malaria. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2009, Issue 3. Art. No.: CD007483. DOI: 10.1002/14651858.CD007483.pub2.) ...