June 19, 2014 (yesterday) Was World Sickle Cell Day What you need to know.... SICKLE CELL DISEASE Sickle cell disease is a disorder that affects the red blood cells. Normally, red blood cells are round and flexible so they can travel freely through the narrow blood vessels. For sickle cell, hemoglobin molecules dont form properly, causing red blood cells to be rigid and have a concave shape (like a sickle used to cut wheat). These irregularly shaped cells get stuck in the blood vessels and are unable to transport oxygen effectively, causing pain and damage to the organs. How people get sickle cell disease Sickle cell disease is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern. This means that a child will not inherit the disease unless both parents pass down a defective copy of the gene. People who inherit one good copy of the gene and one mutated copy are carriers. They are clinically normal, but can still pass the defective gene to their children. Symptoms of sickle cell disease Sickle cell disease prevents oxygen from reaching the spleen, liver, kidneys,lungs, heart, or other organs, causing a lot of damage. The red blood cells of patients with sickle cell disease dont live as long as healthy red blood cells. As a result, people with this disorder often have low red blood cell counts (anaemia), which is why this disease is commonly referred to as sickle cell anemia. When sickle-shaped red blood cells get stuck in blood vessels this can cause episodes of pain called crises. Other symptoms include: delayed growth, strokes, priapism and jaundice. Because of these complications, people with this disorder are likely to have their life span reduced. Management Babies and young children with sickle cell disease must take a daily dose of penicillin to prevent potentially deadly infections. Patients also take folic acid, which helps build new red blood cells. Doctors advise people with sickle cell disease to * Have plenty of rest * Drink lots of water * Avoid too much physical activity. Blood transfusions that provide a patient with healthy red blood cells are a common treatment. People with more severe cases of the disease can be treated with a bone marrow transplant. Other treatments are based on the symptoms present. Donkor A. Ghaff
Posted on: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 09:10:54 +0000