| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
 |
| |
What is Sickle Cell
Disease/Anemia/Syndrome? |
| |
It is
an inherited blood disease, which can cause
bouts of pain, damage to vital organs, and
for some, death in childhood or early adulthood.
Sickle cell disease affects a protein inside
the red blood cells called hemoglobin. It
occurs when a person inherits two sickle
cell genes or a combination of one sickle
cell gene plus any one of several other
abnormal hemoglobin genes that affect the
red blood cells. It is neither contagious
nor infectious. |
| |
Hemoglobin
in the red blood cells caries oxygen from
the lungs and takes it to every part of
the body. A change in the oxygen carrying
hemoglobin inside red blood cells causes
the symptoms of sickle cell disease. Red
blood cells are normally round and flexible.
But when oxygen is released by the red blood
cells in people with sickle cell disease,
the cells become distorted, forming a rigid
banana or sickle shape that can clog blood
vessels. |
| |
Sickle
cells tend to become trapped and destroyed
in the liver and in the spleen. These result
in a shortage of red blood cells called
anemia, which, when severe, can cause the
client to be pale, short of breath, and
easily tired. Certain conditions such as
infections may worsen a client's anemia
by speeding up destruction of red blood
cells or reducing red blood cell production. |
 |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
 |
| |
Medical Problems |
| |
Normal
red blood cells live about 120 days in the
bloodstream, but sickled red cells die after
about 10 to 20 days. Because they cannot
be replaced fast enough, the blood is chronically
short of red blood cells, a condition called
anemia. |
| |
The
sickled cells can also block the flow of
blood through important blood vessels which
may result in lung tissue damage (acute
chest syndrome), pain episodes (arms, legs,
chest, and abdomen), stroke and priapism
(painful prolonged erection).

|
|
| |
It
can also cause damage to most organs including
the spleen, kidneys, and liver. Damage to
the spleen makes sickle cell disease clients,
especially young children, easily overwhelmed
by certain bacterial infections, hence the
need for penicillin and special immunization
to keep pneumococcal bacteria at bay.
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
 |
| |
What are some of the
hemoglobin variants? |
| |
The more
common types of abnormal hemoglobin are
those which cause the red blood
cells to develop a sickle shape rather than
its normal round shape.
This change from a round
to sickle shape causes the pain crisis experienced
by many
individuals who have sickle cell syndromes
such as:
SS (Sickle Cell Anemia)
SC (Sickle Cell Hemoglobin C Disease)
SD (Sickle Cell Hemoglobin D Disease)
SE (Sickle Cell Hemoglobin E Disease)
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
 |
| |
|
| |
At present,
there is no cure for sickle cell disease.
Only the clinical problems (symptoms) are
treated. The clinical features associated
with sickle cell diseases (other than sickle
cell anemia) are usually not as severe as
the symptoms associated with
sickle cell anemia itself. Some sickle cell
clients tire easily, have pain in their
joints, stomach cramps, and retarded growth,
jaundice (yellow tinge to the white of the
eyeballs), leg ulcers, frequent colds and
infections, and restriction of physical
activities. |
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
| |
| |
Myth
#1
Only Black people of African/Caribbean decent are affected by sickle
cell anaemia.
Reality
Not true, Sickle cell anaemia is a blood disorder that affects people
of different racial and ethnic backgrounds. It is
particularly common among people whose ancestors
come from Sub-Saharan Africa, South America, Cuba,
Central America, Saudi Arabia, India, and Mediterranean
countries
such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy. For this reason,
all races must be screened at birth for the type
of haemoglobin responsible for causing sickle cell
anaemia.
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Myth #2
Sickle cell anaemia care and management is basically medical and must
be administered by doctors, nurses and other healthcare
workers. Nothing is under our control as a family.
Reality
Actually, there's quite a bit a family can do to care for a child with
sickle cell: Families need to strike a balance between
completely denying the presence of the disease and
accepting the situation. They can learn to recognise
problems early when medical treatment often is more
effective and take precautions to ward off pain
crises.
Flexibility in responding
to problems, building up a support system of friends
and family or joining a support group can make a
big difference in how much a child's life is affected
by sickle cell.
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Myth #3
You can contract sickle cell anaemia from another person.
Reality
NO, Sickle cell is not contagious. It's strictly an inherited genetic
disease, and only people who are born with this
genetic defect can develop it.
|
|
| |
 |
 |
| |
Contrary to the medical/proper method of management of Sickle
Cell crisis, those in rural areas of some developing countries
like Africa tend to use a crude method of treatment [body
mutilation], making sacrifices and appeasing gods which
tend to expose the sufferer to secondary infection thus
endangering their life...as shown in these pictures. |
|