Antibiotics for treating acute chest syndrome in people with sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease affects millions of people throughout the world. Acute chest syndrome is a major cause of illness and death in people with sickle cell disease. Symptoms include fever, chest pain and a raised white blood cell count. Acute infection of the lung tissue is a major cause of acute chest syndrome. Antibiotics are often given to treat these lung infections, but there is no worldwide standard treatment. We searched for randomised controlled trials which compared antibiotics (alone or in combination) with other antibiotics, placebo or standard treatment. We wanted to know if the different antibiotic treatments were effective, if they were safe, and which doses worked best for acute chest syndrome in people with sickle cell disease. This update was unable to find any trials to include in this review. We conclude that a randomised controlled trial should attempt to answer these questions. Until there is firm evidence, clinicians should treat acute chest syndrome on a case by case basis and according to the diagnosis and the treatment available.