Sickle cell disease can be deadly, and the persistent health inequities facing Black Americans worsen the problem

People with the disease frequently visit the emergency room and are hospitalized for pain control. Sometimes, these acute pain episodes are excruciating and last up to 11 days. But often, doctors and nurses do not believe their complaints and requests for strong medications to stop the pain. Instead, they may suspect drug-seeking behavior, deny them pain medicines and label them drug addicts...

https://theconversation.com/sickle-cell-disease-can-be-deadly-and-the-persistent-health-inequities-facing-black-americans-worsen-the-problem-212434

Sickle cell patients fight for competent care and pain management amid racial bias in hospitals

Although there are persistent stereotypes that label it as such, sickle cell disease (a red blood cell disorder) is actually not a condition that only affects black people. While it is commonly found among people of African descent in the U.S., it is also found in Hispanics, Southern Europeans, people from the Middle East and India. There are, however, glaring disparities in how sickle cell patients are treated in the U.S. healthcare system—mainly due to the fact that the majority of sickle cell patients in the U.S. are black. In a country where racism and white supremacy are embedded into every structure, it is unsurprising that black sickle cell patients find it hard to get comprehensive and quality treatment. And, as a recent article by STAT shows, this is made even more complicated by the ongoing opioid epidemic.....
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/1699742