Hydroxyurea treatment of sickle-cell anemia reduces risk of death by 40%, according to a study in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
    Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disease that affects about 72,000 blacks in the US. In this disease, red blood cells that provide oxygen to other cells in the body take on an abnormal shape that prevents the cells from moving through blood vessels. This means that not enough blood reaches certain tissues, resulting in painful episodes for the patient.

    Previous studies had found that hydroxyurea treatment reduced symptoms of the disease in patients with moderate to severe sickle cell anemia.
    Up to 9 years after the initial study, researchers compared symptoms and death rates in adult patients who had received hydroxyurea treatment and a group of adult patients who had not.
    Low fetal hemoglobin levels, a marker of red blood cells, were associated with increased risk of death. The patients who were receiving hydroxyurea were more likely to increase their fetal hemoglobin levels than were those not receiving hydroxyurea. Overall, the risk of death was reduced 40% in patients taking hydroxyurea compared with that of those not taking hydroxyurea, possibly due to the effect on hemoglobin.
    “Presently only a minority of eligible patients are taking hydroxyurea,” noted the lead author. “Our study strongly suggests that adults with sickle cell anemia and clinically significant complications of their disease -  should take hydroxyurea under the supervision of a knowledgeable physician.”