WORLD SICKLE CELL DAY

By Pharm. Glorious Attat

What is Sickle Cell?

Sickle cell is an inherited group of disorders that cause red blood cells to become misshapen and break down. The red blood cells contort into a sickle shape of which the cells die early, leaving a shortage of healthy red blood cells (sickle cell anaemia) and can block blood flow causing pain which occurs during the sickle cell crisis.

What Does Sickle Cell Do To A Person?

Sickle cell has an inherited blood disorder marked by defective hemoglobin in red blood cells to carry oxygen. Sickle cells tend to stick together, blocking small blood vessels, causing painful and damaging complications.

Sickle cell is an inherited disease caused by defect in a gene. A person will be born with sickle cell disease if only the two genes are inherited - one from the mother and one from the Father. A person who inherits just one gene is healthy and said to be a carrier of the disease.

How Can One Know He / She Is a Carrier of The Disease?

A genetic screening test is carried out by analyzing a blood sample using molecular techniques.

A carrier's genotype is heterogeneous, with genotype, AS or AC

One with Sickle cell disease presents with genotype, SS. This implies that both parents were carriers, with genotypes AS.

Symptoms of the disease Include:

Pain in the bones and joints, acute pain in the chest, whole body dizziness, fatigue, malaise, painful erection in males and jaundice. These symptoms usually manifest occasionally, usually when the patient is having crisis.

Can Sickle Cell Be Cured?

Stem cell or bone marrow transplants are the only cure for sickle cell disease, but they're not done very often because of the significant risks involved. Stem cells are special cells produced by bone marrow, a spongy tissue found in the centre of some bones. They can turn into different types of blood cells.

In the meantime, the disease can be managed by paying adequate medical attention to the patient.

In conclusion, We invite you to join with friends, family, neighbors and others in your community to shine the light on sickle cell disease. Together, we must and will find a universal cure for sickle cell disease.