Our bodies are like computers; we are all uniquely designed to perform specific task and just like computers we get viruses and our bodies begin to malfunction. Sometimes computers, just like people, are born with defects and we make the most of it until it stops working. Sickle cell anemia is one of those “defects” that people are born with and is inherited. According to Dr. William P. Winter, 1910 is when SCD was discovered in the United States.
He states, a man named Walter Clement Noel from Grenada who was assigned to a resident, Dr. Ernest Irons. Noel complained of having pain and symptoms of anemia, which is generally feeling weak and tired. Irons examined Noel’s blood under the microscope and saw red blood cells he described as “having the shape of a sickle”, which brings us to where terminology was formed. (Winter.)
According to The Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), “Sickle cell disease affects millions of people throughout the world and is particularly common among those whose ancestors came from sub-Saharan Africa; Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy.” (“Sickle Cell Disease”) The CDC data show that sickle cell disease is more common in countries where high malaria rates are.
CDCP also states “SCD affects approximately 100,000 Americans and about 1 out of every 365 Black or African-American births. SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 16,300 Hispanic-American birth and about 1 in 13 Black or African-American babies is born with sickle cell trait.” (CDCP.) Wish this data we can infer that sickle cell is not as common in the U.S., but it is still present here and other countries, we need to keep in mind that a lot of people immigrate to America as well.
MedlinePlus explains, people with the disease are born with sickle cell genes from each parent. Some people who are born with one sickle cell gene have what is called sickle cell trait and are healthy but can pass the gene on to offspring. SCD is a red blood cell deficiency and there is a problem with your hemoglobin, which is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen through the body. The red blood cells are disc-shaped, but with SCD, the hemoglobin forms into stiff rods and this changes the shaped to a sickle shape.
The cells are not flexible and cannot change shape, causing a blockage that slows and stops the flow of blood, unlike normal blood cells. Oxygen cannot reach nearby tissues and will cause severe pain. Usually, blood cells should last ninety to hundred and twenty days, but with sickle cell it only last ten to twenty days. That is a dramatic difference. This could lead to anemia, hence sickle cell anemia, because your body is having trouble replacing the cells you lost and causing you to feel tired and weak from the low cell count.
Sickle cell disease is a lifelong illness. In a sickle cell disease article by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institution, it states, “If a person has sickle cell disease, it is present at birth. But most infants do not have any problems from the disease until they are about 5 or 6 months of age. Every state in the United States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories require that all newborn babies receive screening for sickle cell disease. When a child has sickle cell disease, parents are notified before the child has symptoms”.
The screening for sickle cell is a great idea to do because we have a lot of advance technology so, why not use it! Screening is a blood test that looks at your genetics. Detecting it at as soon as possible will prepare you and alert you to seek treatments. Sickle cell disease include severe pain, anemia, organ damage, and infections. If not detected after birth other signs and symptoms are painful swelling of the hands and feet, fatigue or fussiness from anemia, and yellowish color of the skin or the whites of the eyes. Most of the signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease include severe pain, anemia, organ damage, and infections
Many people tend to diagnose themselves, but when it comes to sickle cell you need a doctor to diagnose you based on the results from screening test and symptoms. By having you blood tested you can learn whether or not you carry the trait for an abnormal hemoglobin. National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute, states “Every state in the United States, the District of Columbia, and the U.S. territories require that every baby be tested for sickle cell disease as part of a newborn screening program. In newborn screening programs, blood from a heel prick is collected on a special paper.
The hemoglobin from this blood is then looked at in special labs. Newborn screening results are sent to the doctor who is doing the test and to the child’s primary doctor.” Babies can be diagnosed before birth using amniotic fluid, a liquid in the sac surrounding the embryo. Testing can be done eight to ten weeks into pregnancy. Early detection is always a good thing, but the only way is if you go to the doctor for professional help and knowledge.
When it comes to sickle cell disease there is no real way to prevent it. As said before it is a red blood cell deficiency and there is an issue with your hemoglobin and a lifelong illness. People with the disease cannot show signs of having sickle cell disease for years, while others do not make it beyond early childhood. It is a genetically passed illness and the only way to prevent your kids from having, is talking to a genetic counselor.
If the counselor says there is a high chance of your offspring getting SDC you can always turn to having a test tube baby or adoption. Overall, if you have the trait there is no prevention, just ways to ease the pain and slow the process of dying. New treatments are improving life spans and quality. People are surviving beyond their fifties.
SCD is a disease that worsens over time. Treatments can help lessen complications and lengthen the lives. Some simple treatments are antibiotics that can be used to help with infections and pain relivers are recommended or the chronic pain. For more intense and complicated treatments, a blood transfusion is recommended for severe anemia and hydroxyurea. MedlinePlus say, “Hydroxyurea, a medicine that has been shown to reduce several sickle cell complications. It increases the amount of fetal hemoglobin in the blood.
This medicine is not right for everyone; talk to your health care provider about whether you should take it. This medicine is not safe during pregnancy.” The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute also mentioned, “A blood and bone marrow transplant is currently the only cure for some patients who have sickle cell disease. After early diagnosis, the goal is health maintenance to prevent complications and medicines and treatments to manage complications, including chronic pain.”
Just like most diseases, sickle cell comes with many complications. Some are pain episodes that occur from blockage of blood flow and that decreases the oxygen delivery, this could lead to brain complications like strokes and sight problems. Blood flows in the whole body so slowly every artery will clog, and organs begin to shut down. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute says “The spleen filters your blood and destroys old blood cells. In people who have sickle cell disease, red blood cells may get trapped in the spleen, making it enlarge quickly.
With red blood cells trapped in the spleen, fewer are available to circulate in the blood, and this can set off severe anemia. A large spleen may also cause pain in the left side of the belly.” This complication could lead to cutting the spleen in half or removing it, which could also lead to infections. The pains are so sharp and are described to feel like stabbings, they occur all over the body and can result in organ damage. A delay in growth and puberty is another complication as well as putting both the mother and child at risk during pregnancy. The list goes on and on, but these are the main complications.
Sickle cell anemia is a disease that must be acknowledged. The number of people that are educated about sickle cell anemia is extremely low and must become alert of the dangers. It is also a worldwide disorder and can lead to death in many infants, children, teens, and adults. This disease is a malfunction in the DNA coding, needs more people researching in order to find more effective cures. Everyone one must do their part in leasing and discovering more about the disease.
