The epidemiology of sickle cell disease in Germany following recent large-scale immigration

Abstract

More than 3,000 patients with SCD are estimated to live among the immigrant population in Germany. In addition, the number of SCD patients of German nationality is not known. The increasing number of inpatient treatments and the death of young children from SCD indicate the need for a general newborn screening program and an increased awareness of this disease among medical practitioners in a country in which SCD used to be rare.