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The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Politics
Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent

Only 3% of US sickle cell patients receive red blood cell exchange for disease, researchers find

A gloved hand holds a pipette over dishes and vials
Researchers work at the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute on 8 February 2024 in Bethesda, Maryland. Photograph: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Sickle cell patients are missing out on an effective treatment despite widespread US hospital access to the technology, new research has found.

That treatment is called a red blood cell exchange, a procedure that discards a patient’s damaged red blood cells while simultaneously mixing the patient’s remaining plasma, platelets and white blood cells with red blood cells from a donor before returning them to the body.

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