How long can you live with sickle cell anemia?

With a national median life expectancy of 42–47 years, people with sickle cell disease (SCD) face many challenges, including severe pain episodes, stroke, and organ damage. read more

Females have longer average life spans than males.People with different types of sickle cell disease have different average life spans and different complications from the disease. With good health care, many people can have reasonably good health much of the time and live longer today than in the past. read more

It is recommended that children with sickle cell disease who are 2-5 years of age receive pneumococcal vaccine (PCV-7). Hydroxyurea (Hydrea) This is the first drug to significantly prevent complications of sickle cell disease. read more

These people can live into their forties or fifties, or longer. Today, with good health care, many people with sickle cell anemia are in reasonably good health much of the time and living productive lives. In the past, death from organ failure often occurred between the ages of 20 and 40 in most sickle-cell patients. read more

Mitchell has sickle cell disease, an inherited blood disorder that used to kill people before age 20. Doctors once told Richard Mitchell he wouldn’t live past age 40. This week, he blew out the candles on his 70th birthday cake. read more