SICKLE CELL DISEASE PT 2

Welcome to another session of medical tips with your number one Doctor, Dr Nshe MD.

Last week we started a discussion on Sickle Cell Disease. If you missed it, you can quickly scroll to last Saturday's edition.
By now I believe you would still be wondering why the emphasis on SCDx, these are the statistics of the condition in Nigeria;
20 out of every 1000 children are born with sickle cell disease, amounting to about 150, 000 births annually. 16% of under five mortality(deaths) that is 16 out every 100 children that die before age five is from sickle cell disease and 3,500,000 (3.5million) are living with the condition which makes it the most common inherited blood disorder.

WHAT ARE THE TREATMENT OPTIONS?
Attempts at complete cure are being worked on with bone marrow transplantation offering a way out. Bone marrow is the part of the bone where red blood cells are produced (manufactured) and if you can correct the problem "from source" thereby having RBCs that are normal.

Other treatment options include:
Treatment and prevention of infections with antibiotics
Adequate childhood immunizations
Malaria prophylaxis
Folic acid administration
Pain Relief and Rehydration for painful crisis
Blood transfusions

WHAT ARE THE PSYCHOSOCIAL EFFECTS OF SCDx?

The psychosocial problems caused by SCDx are enormous and enough reason why we should care for people with this disease and prevent it.

EMOTIONAL EFFECTS
Disruption of School,Work & Recreational activities, Academic Underachievement & Failure
Social isolation and Lonliness
Loss of control over life
Stigma, Teasing & Rejection by Peers
Uncertainty about the future

2. PSYCHOLOGICAL EFFECTS
Emotional Immaturity
Dependence
Weak Ego Development
Anxiety & Depression
Social Withdrawal & Low Self Esteem

3. FINANCIAL BURDEN
Repeated Hospital Admissions
Repeated Blood Transfusion
Daily Intake of Medication

In conclusion, people living with sickle cell disease can live normal lives with good support and attention to medication. It is as well a preventable disease if people can do a simple haemoglobin electrophoresis to check their genotypes.

Share this knowledge, it might just be a saving grace for someone. Got any questions or need an advice? Send me a mail, mukzydave@yahoo.com or add me on BBM 52E61943. You can also follow me on twitter @NsheMuknaan. Till next week, remember your health is important in becoming Great.

©theINSIGHT 2015

Comments

God's Got You

I was on a trip recently and we drove into a difficult terrain. The driver did well by maneuvering the terrain well and got us safely out of it. However, during this drifting, I doubted his professionalism to get us out safely, in fact I panicked, I gave my opinions and advise based on my experience of driving. Unfortunately, my driver will do the opposite, stating reasons why my counsel will not work and truthfully, his judgement always proves to be right and at the end he drove us safely to our destination. This experience got me to think of how many times we have given God our thoughts and advice on what he should do or should have done. We tell him the direction we feel is right for us to go and at times drag the steering with Him. God is to be trusted. The moment you make him the driver of your life, you can trust him to take you safely to a glorious destination. The terrain may be difficult, He might drive you through surprising and difficult places, just hold on and trust him. H...

Relationships: 5 Ways to Apologize

Because we are relational beings we tend to offend others and step on each other’s toe but then if we want to maintain a peaceful life and continue to enjoy our relationship with them we must know how to apologize. And because we are different and unique, each of us has a way of which we want the apology to be expressed. No wonder sometimes we apologize and it seems the other person is not satisfied. It’s not that you didn’t apologize just that you didn’t express it in the language they will understand. You must therefore understand the apology language of the other person in other for both of you to be reconciled. Therefore let me share with you five ways you express apology Expressing Regret: "I am sorry." "I feel badly that my behavior has hurt you so deeply." This language identifies with the emotions of the offended party. Accepting Responsibility: "I was wrong." Name your mistake and accept fault. "I should not have done that. There...

Nigeria At 55: Look Back...Look Forward.

Yesterday, we celebrated our 55th independence anniversary and while pondering on what to write to commemorate our 55th independence day celebration, I discovered there are a lot of perspectives I could write from. So many topics and issues quickly raced through my mind, like, '55 Years After; How far so far?' 'Independence or Dependence, Where are we going? Etc. But in the midst of it all something exceptional dropped on my mind; which is Thanksgiving. Thanksgiving? Yes. Thanksgiving. Many would be quick to analyse, condemn, discuss and compare the state of the nation being 55 years after we got independence, well, that's not bad. But isn't it good for a man at 55 to thank God for the years past spent? Ask any 55 years old man and he will tell you it has been rough and tough, appointments and disappointments, joys and sorrows, ups and downs, successes and failures, but yet he will be grateful for the privilege of being alive to see 55. How does Nigeria fit in...

theINSIGHT Hub

Search This Blog