Saturday, April 12, 2014

The Possibilities Of Preventing Sickle Cell Anemia

By Anita Ortega


Sickle cell anemia is a condition of the blood. The condition is genetic and is when the red blood cells are mutated into a crescent shape. The cells are hard and sticky which makes them easier to clot. Such aspects often mean that blood flow is cut off or slowed down from various organs in the body. Because of the nature of the disease, there are many people looking for ways of preventing sickle cell anemia. However, because this disease is heredity, there is no way of preventing it. That being said, there are methods of controlling is progress and the symptoms that go along with it.

There are various sorts of anemia and sickle cell is only one of them. This being said, this particular type is also quite severe. People who are born with this condition have red blood cells in the shape of crescents instead of those shaped like circles with a hole in the center, also likened to the appearance of donuts.

The affected cells are sticky and hard. These characteristics make such components stick together, forming blockages. As a result, organs may not get the blood flow and oxygen that they need to function correctly. Over time, the body is damaged and all sorts of symptoms may appear.

Each of these affected cells lives much shorter than the regular cell. It generally lives between 10 and 20 days instead of the normal 120 days. The bone marrow can't product the cells that quickly, thus resulting in other complications as well.

There are numerous signs and symptoms of this disease. The most common ones include dizziness, a shortness of breath, coldness in the feet and hands, pale skin, and jaundice. Sudden pains in various parts of the body are also common because of blocked blood flow to different organs. Complications that may be induced by the condition include infections, splenic crisis and hand-food syndrome, stroke, organ failure, and more.

There is no cure that is widely used for this condition and there is no way to prevent it. The good news is that there are remedies to help decrease the symptoms that are experienced. Treatments are available to help prevent the complication as well as to reduce the symptoms. The treatments are chosen on an individual basis according to the most severe or serious complications.

Clinical trials are ongoing in various countries pertaining to the treatment of the disease. Research is constantly being done to try and make the lives of people with the condition better. Counseling is normally provided by clinics and hospitals to help patients cope.

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease and therefore it cannot be prevented. Such a condition is one where the patient has mutated red blood cells that are sticky and hard. These aspects often result in blocked blood flow to the organs. There are numerous symptoms and complicated that are caused by the illness. Treatments are available to slow the progress and control the symptoms. Further research is being conducted to create more remedies to improve the quality of life that patients have.




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