
Unit No 201, 2nd Floor, Vipul Business Park, Sector 48, Sohna Road,
Gurugram, Haryana 122018, India
Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary form of anemia. It is a disorder of blood cells characterized by inadequacy of healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen to different parts of body.
In the normal process, the healthy round red blood cells move through different small blood vessels in the body to supply oxygen to every body part. But in a person with sickle cell disease, the red blood cells become sickle shaped, hard and sticky. As a result, they get stuck in the small blood vessels while carrying oxygen and block the pathway. Also, their life span becomes short and they die early within 10 to 20 days, while normal red blood cells have a life span of 120 days. This causes constant shortage of red blood cells and hence anemia.
Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder that a baby is born with. It is present at birth and occurs when the baby gets two sickle cell genes, one each from parents.
The risk for a baby to be born with sickle cell anemia is high if both parents are having a sickle cell gene.
The signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia change from time to time and vary from person to person. The most common complaints of patient include:
The diagnosis of sickle cell anemia is usually made soon after the birth of the baby through a blood sample. A simple blood test can check the presence of the defective form of hemoglobin (hemoglobin S) that signifies sickle cell anemia.
Treatment for sickle cell anemia involves symptomatic relief to the patient depending upon the symptoms as they arise.
As blood cells are produced by bone marrow, the only cure for sickle cell anemia is bone marrow transplant, also known as stem cell transplant. Bone marrow transplant involves replacement of the affected bone marrow with the healthy bone marrow from donor. In most cases, the donor is a sibling or family member that is a closest matching donor to prevent organ rejection.
As there are many risks involved with bone marrow transplant, the procedure is recommended only to people, usually children, who face significant symptoms and problems associated with sickle cell anemia. Also, it is usually reserved for children below 16 years of age as risks increase with age and is more for people older than 16 years.
In other cases, regular check-up with the doctor and religious medication follow-up can save the patient from crisis or complications of sickle cell anemia. For babies below the age of 2 years, frequent visits to a doctor is recommended while in children older than 2 years and adults with sickle cell anemia, once a year visit to the doctor is recommended. Other than this, following symptoms require immediate visit to the doctor:
As transplant is a complex process, it should be performed by an expert team.
With MedTours Global, your health is priority:
Disclamer:
Treatment cost mentioned is tentative and can change depending on your medical condition / examination and duration of stay required in the hospital.Disclamer:
Treatment cost mentioned is tentative and can change depending on your medical condition / examination and duration of stay required in the hospital.Disclamer:
Treatment cost mentioned is tentative and can change depending on your medical condition / examination and duration of stay required in the hospital.Disclamer:
Treatment cost mentioned is tentative and can change depending on your medical condition / examination and duration of stay required in the hospital.Disclamer:
Treatment cost mentioned is tentative and can change depending on your medical condition / examination and duration of stay required in the hospital.Disclamer:
Treatment cost mentioned is tentative and can change depending on your medical condition / examination and duration of stay required in the hospital.Disclamer:
Treatment cost mentioned is tentative and can change depending on your medical condition / examination and duration of stay required in the hospital.