Steps to Better Health Toolkit

What to know

In partnership with the American Society of Hematology (ASH), CDC created a series of easy-to-read fact sheets for people with sickle cell disease (SCD). They provide information and health tips about many of the complications that can affect people with SCD. These materials are based on the ASH Clinical Practice Guidelines on SCD.

Boy hugging his mother.

Fact sheets

Illustration of a patient with his whole care team.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: Caring for Common Complications
Steps for caring for common complications of people with SCD.
Illustration of a heart beat.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: Heart Health
Steps for better heart health for people with SCD.
Illustration showing blood clots on an arm and a leg.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: Blood Clots
What to know about blood clots for people living with SCD.
Illustration of a patient with his healthcare providers and an X-ray of his lungs.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: Lung Health
Steps to improve lung health for people with SCD.
Illustration showing kidneys with damage.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: Kidney Health
Steps for dealing with common kidney complications while living with SCD.
A man sitting at a table with a doctor with medicine.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: 3 Tips for Safe Use of Medicines
Tips for taking medicine with SCD.
Illustration of a person getting a blood transfusion.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: 5 Steps to Safer Blood Transfusions
5 steps to take for safer blood transfusions for people with SCD.
Graphic of a Black woman with shoulder pain.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: Managing Acute Pain
Steps for managing acute pain with SCD.
Graphic of a Black woman with chronic pain in her hip and shoulder.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit: Managing Chronic Pain
Steps for managing chronic pain with SCD.

Social media resources

Person wearing a yellow sweater and jeans, sitting on a couch with their laptop open. A bunch of comment bubbles showing social media emojis are above the person's hands over the keyboard.
Steps to Better Health Toolkit - Social Media Resources
Social media resources about SCD.
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Content Source
National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities (NCBDDD)
About This Page
Published: May 15, 2024
Updated: May 15, 2024

This page was last updated on this date. Updates may include minor edits, image changes, or other modifications to page content.

Reviewed: August 7, 2026

The information on this page was last reviewed by subject matter experts to ensure accuracy.