Dr Carl Haywood and Sickle Cell Disease
By
John C Abercrombie
This post focuses on sickle cell disease with an honor for Dr Carl Haywood who recently passed from the disease. This post will discuss sickle cell anemia and sickle cell disease. This is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there are not enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen through the body.
The red blood cells are normally round and easily flow through the blood vessels. Sickle cells are shaped more like crescent moons or sickle shapes and do not flow through the blood vessels. They can be rigid and stick in small blood vessels. This in turn slows or blocks blood flow of blood which supply oxygen to parts of the body.
Treatment can relieve pain and prevent complications associated with the disease but there is no currently known cure.
It is extremely important to know the signs and symptoms of the disease. These usually appear around the age of 5 months and can vary from person to person and may change over time.
Signs and Symptoms:
- Anemia where the sickle cells break apart and die leaving too few functioning red blood cells resulting in anemia
- Fatigue without enough functioning red blood cells the body is not supplied with sufficient oxygen resulting in fatigue
- Pain episodes of pain which are known as pain crises. These are a major symptom. Pain develops when the sickle shaped red blood cells block the flow of blood through tiny blood vessels to the chest, abdomen and joints.
- The intensity of pain can vary and can last a few hours and sometimes for several weeks.
- The number of episodes varies also, some may have only a few episodes per year, others may have dozens. Severe pain requires a hospital stay
- Some adolescents and adults have chronic which can result in bone, or joint damage, ulcers or other medical conditions.
- Swelling of hands and feet caused by the sickle shaped blood blocking flow to the extremities
- Frequent infections can damage the spleen leaving the patient more vulnerable to infections
- Because of the possibility of infections, it is highly that infants and children receive vaccinations and antibiotics to prevent potentially life-threatening infections such as pneumonia.
- Delayed growth or puberty may be a result of deprivation of oxygen and nutrients needed for growth
- Vision problems resulting from insufficient blood supply to the eyes which can damage the retina
As is visible from the above, health care is extremely important, and it is time to discuss the need to see a doctor and also what to look for
Time to see a doctor
- Sickle cell anemia is usually diagnosed in infancy through screening programs
- If a child develops any of the following it is time to see a doctor right away or seek emergency medical care
- Fever patients with sickle cell anemia have an increased risk of serious infection and fever can be the first sign
- Unexplained episodes of severe pain especially pain in the abdomen, chest, bones or joints
- Swelling in the hands or feet
- Abdominal swelling especially if the area is tender to the touch
- Pale skin or nail beds
- Yellow tint to the skin or whites of the eyes
- Signs or symptoms of stroke including:
- one sided paralysis, weakness
- weakness in the face, arms or legs
- confusion
- trouble walking or talking
- sudden vision changes
- unexplained numbness
- severe headache
In these cases, call 911 or your local emergency right away!
Sickle cell anemia is a mutation in the gene that signals the body to make iron-rich hemoglobin. Again, this results in crescent or sickle cell shaped cells that become rigid, sticky and misshapen.
Both mother and father must pass on the defective gene for the child to be affected. Keep in mind that neither of the parents may be aware that they are carriers without testing.
If only one parent passes the gene to the child, the child will have the trait. The people with the trait make both normal and sickle cell hemoglobin. These people generally don’t have symptoms but can pass the gene on to their children.
Complications
Sickle cell anemia can lead to a host of complications, including:
Stroke. Sickle cells can block blood flow to an area of your brain. Signs of stroke include seizures, weakness or numbness of your arms and legs, sudden speech difficulties, and loss of consciousness. If your child has any of these signs and symptoms, seek medical treatment immediately. A stroke can be fatal.
Acute chest syndrome. A lung infection or sickle cells blocking blood vessels in your lungs can cause this life-threatening complication, resulting in chest pain, fever and difficulty breathing. It might require emergency medical treatment.
Pulmonary hypertension. People with sickle cell anemia can develop high blood pressure in their lungs. This complication usually affects adults. Shortness of breath and fatigue are common symptoms of this condition, which can be fatal.
Organ damage. Sickle cells that block blood flow to organs deprive the affected organs of blood and oxygen. In sickle cell anemia, blood is also chronically low in oxygen. This lack of oxygen-rich blood can damage nerves and organs, including your kidneys, liver and spleen, and can be fatal.
Blindness. Sickle cells can block tiny blood vessels that supply your eyes. Over time, this can damage your eye and lead to blindness.
Leg ulcers. Sickle cell anemia can cause open sores on your legs.
Gallstones. The breakdown of red blood cells produces a substance called bilirubin. A high level of bilirubin in your body can lead to gallstones.
Priapism. In this condition, men with sickle cell anemia can have painful, long-lasting erections. Sickle cells can block the blood vessels in the penis, which can lead to impotence over time.
Pregnancy complications. Sickle cell anemia can increase the risk of high blood pressure and blood clots during pregnancy. It can also increase the risk of miscarriage, premature birth and having low birth weight babies.
Sickle cell is a serious condition, but research is lagging as are many conditions that affect primarily people of color. Explore opportunities to support the vital research need by many.
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Sickle Cell Anemia Nursing |
Symptoms, Pathophysiology, Sickle Cell Crisis & Trait Sickle cell anemia is a genetic blood disorder that occurs when a patient has abnormal hemoglobin on their red blood cell called Hemoglobin S (normal hemoglobin type is A). Hemoglobin S is extremely sensitive to low oxygen level. When a red blood cell with hemoglobin S experiences a decrease is oxygen, it causes the red blood cell to change its shape from a round, smooth shape to a stiff, sickle-shaped, and sticky shape.
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Understanding Sickle Cell Disease (Understanding Health and Sickness Series)
Although more is known about sickle cell disease than about any other inherited disease, no cure for it exists. In America alone, about one in 375 who are of African ancestry is born with sickle cell disease. A smaller number of Americans descended from families from the Mediterranean area, the Middle East, and India also are affected. In addition, about eight percent of black Americans who do not suffer from the disease itself carry the gene for it that can be transmitted to their children.
ABH – Understanding Sickle Disease
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Sickle cell anemia – causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment & pathology
What is sickle cell anemia? Sickle cell anemia is an autosomal recessive genetic condition where the beta-globin protein subunit of hemoglobin is misshapen, which ultimately leads to a sickle-shaped red blood cell, which is prematurely destroyed and can get stuck in small blood vessels.
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Nutrition for people with Sickle Cell Disease
Nutrition for people with Sickle cell is a comprehensive look at vitamins, minerals and nutrients that contribute to the natural healing of the acute symptoms of sickle cell. Coupled with regular doctor visits and the treatment plans recommended by a physician, patients surviving sickle cell disease will be able to enjoy a life with increased energy , better blood flow, and increased stronger immune system, and many more. These health benefits derived from the listed vitamins minerals and nutrients can be used to alleviate the symptoms of many other health issues including High Blood Pressure, Diabetes, and High Cholesterol. All of the aforementioned diseases can be treated and in many cases the body can heal itself if and when the proper nutrition is consumed as part of a lifestyle change. ~Love Yourself Nutrition Coaching, LLC. www.smjnutrition.com, smjnutrition@gmail.com
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Dr Carl Hayward and Sickle Cell Disease Suffering in Silence:
100 Years of Sickle Cell Disease in the U.S. (October 27, 2010) Carlton Haywood, Jr. PhD., MA (Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology, School of Medicine, and Berman Institute of Bioethics, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland) presented a complete background on the one hundred year history of sickle cell disease in the United States, including its discovery, experiences of persons with this disease, racial implications, treatment, research challenges and associated inequities. Pamela A. Ross, M.D. (Associate Professor of Clinical Emergency Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland) described her experiences with working with patients with Sickle Cell Disease and common physician perceptions and attitudes towards persons with this disease. Dr. Ross would like to see improved standardization of care and more effective pain protocols.
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A Patient’s Journey As a young child, Alexandria, now age 17, endured near-constant feelings of exhaustion and general sickness, which turned into severe pain at night. After experiencing a “silent stroke” as a young girl, Alexandria was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, a disease in which the blood cells become deformed and unable to function properly. To learn more about SCA and other blood disorders, visit ASH’s patient resources webpage
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