Chapters authored
Contribution of Biomedical Equipment Management to Better Management of Sickle Cell Disease in Africa
Sickle cell anemia is a serious disease with manifestations and complications that directly affect the patient’s quality of life and his entourage. This is not a shameful disease on the contrary; it is linked to a mutation that arose for us to defend against severe forms of malaria. It is due to the so-called selective pressure that has enabled AS carriers to resist severe forms of malaria. This advantage explains among other things why, although cosmopolitan, sickle cell disease predominates in Africa and its geographical distribution is superimposed on the malaria one. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), it is estimated that there are 25–30% heterozygous healthy carriers (AS) and about 50,000 homozygous newborns (SS) each year, equating to 2% of newborns. Therefore, an effective medical care is very indispensable. The management of any pathology implies the appropriate choice of techniques and technologies. Unfortunately, very often in sub-Saharan countries, there is a lack of global strategy to providing effective solution. The choice of equipment performed after an objective needs analysis enables to optimize the acquiring process, to ensure the quality of reported results, and to provide more accessible costs to target populations that are generally poor. Biomedical engineers may enhance health by assessing and managing health technologies.
Part of the book: Human Blood Group Systems and Haemoglobinopathies