Table 2. Summary of stigma and... | American Society of Hematology

Table 2.

Summary of stigma and pain-management issues in SCD across African countries

Country	Stigma-related beliefs	Pain-management challenges	References
Ghana	Illness attributed to spiritual causes; social ostracism	Limited access to opioids; inconsistent provider attitudes	Manuscript case study; Dennis-Antwi et al⁷
Nigeria	SCD perceived as a curse or ancestral sin	Rural areas lack access to specialized care	Oshikoya et al¹¹ Munung et al¹⁴
Mali	SCD sometimes viewed as a supernatural condition	Inadequate availability of strong analgesics	Diallo et al¹⁰
Kenya	SCD seen as a maternal inheritance only	Children not treated adequately	Marsh et al⁹
Cameroon	SCD attributed to breaking taboos or spiritual punishment	Lack of trained health care professionals	Munung et al¹⁴

Country	Stigma-related beliefs	Pain-management challenges	References
Ghana	Illness attributed to spiritual causes; social ostracism	Limited access to opioids; inconsistent provider attitudes	Manuscript case study; Dennis-Antwi et al⁷
Nigeria	SCD perceived as a curse or ancestral sin	Rural areas lack access to specialized care	Oshikoya et al¹¹ Munung et al¹⁴
Mali	SCD sometimes viewed as a supernatural condition	Inadequate availability of strong analgesics	Diallo et al¹⁰
Kenya	SCD seen as a maternal inheritance only	Children not treated adequately	Marsh et al⁹
Cameroon	SCD attributed to breaking taboos or spiritual punishment	Lack of trained health care professionals	Munung et al¹⁴