Artor Niccoli Asabella, Corinna Altini, Anna G Nappi, Valentina Lavelli, Cristina Ferrari, Andrea Marzullo, Alessandra Loiodice, Giuseppe Rubini
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is the best known haemoglobinopathy, caused by a mutation substituting valina for glutamic acid at position 6 of the beta-globin chain of adult hemoglobin A, resulting in hemoglobin S (HbS). The homozygous HbS disease (HbSS), an autosomal recessive disorder, is the most common form and the Mediterranean area, along with sub-Saharian African and India, have the highest prevalence (1%-15%). In particular, Sicily with a prevalence of 2%-5%, is among the most interested regions. However, migratory flows have led to a wider diffusion of the disease no longer confined to endemic areas...
2019: Hellenic Journal of Nuclear Medicine