Treating Sickle Cell Disease Article

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Treating Sickle Cell Disease

There are an estimated two million people who carry the sickle cell gene, which causes this inherited blood disorder, but may not have the disease themselves. A child has a one in four chance of contracting this disorder if both of his or her parents have the defective gene.

Author: Sara Goldstein

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When someone has sickle cell disease, their hemoglobin, the protein inside the red blood cells carrying oxygen, becomes deformed and abnormal. They take the shape of sickles or crescent moons, whereas normal red blood cells are round and flexible. Rather than moving through your veins unhindered, the red blood cells in a sickle cell disease patient become stiff and sticky, and collect into clumps that can get caught more easily in small blood vessels. This causes them to slow or block oxygen and blood flow to other parts of the body.

The main symptoms of sickle cell disease include chronic anemia, unusually low red blood cell count, and episodes of pain in the abdominal region, chest area or throughout the bones. There is no cure for sickle cell disease, but there are various treatments, procedures and medicines that can ease pain, relieve symptoms, regulate complications and stop infections.

Treatment for Sickle Cell Disease
• Antibiotics – Newborns and small children with sickle cell are given antibiotics to prevent infection.
• Hydroxyurea – A form of drug therapy that reduces pain episodes by promoting the body to create fetal hemoglobin (Hb-F) that prevents the red blood cells from becoming sickle-like and clumping together.
• Folic acid – Folic acid helps to produce more red blood cells and avert blood vessel problems.
• Blood transfusions – In more severe cases of anemia and sickle cell complications, blood transfusions will be performed. Red blood cells are removed from the donated blood and given to the person with sickle cell disease, increasing their low levels of red blood cells. These transfusions can also prevent strokes, acute chest syndrome and spleen problems.
• Bone marrow or stem cell transplants – When a perfectly matched donor is found, healthy bone marrow replaces the diseased marrow affected by sickle cell disease. Usually this transplant occurs in only severe cases because of the high risks involved with the procedure.

If you or your child has sickle cell disease and was misdiagnosed in the New Jersey area, please visit the website of Weiss & Paarz P.C.

About Author

New Jersey Medical Malpractice Lawyers at Weiss & Paarz, P.C. believe that in order to maintain the expertise needed to be consistently successful, we must focus 100% of our professional time on handling medical malpractice cases only.

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