What is childhood sickle cell anemia?
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a blood disorder that a child is born with. It’s passed down through a parent’s genes. Children with SCD make an abnormal type of hemoglobin. This is the protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen to all parts of the body. With SCD, the body organs and tissues don’t get enough oxygen.
What is sickle cell anemia simple definition?
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body. Normally, the flexible, round red blood cells move easily through blood vessels. In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells are shaped like sickles or crescent moons.
Is sickle cell anemia common in children?
Every year, roughly 2,000 babies are born with sickle cell disease, the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States. Children with sickle cell disease experience episodes of severe pain and ongoing medical challenges.
How does sickle cell Anaemia affect a child’s development?
Children with sickle cell disease usually grow and develop more slowly, even reaching puberty later than their peers. This growth delay is caused by having fewer red blood cells. Adults with sickle cell disease are also typically shorter and thinner than the general population.
What is child anemia?
A child who has anemia does not have enough red blood cells or hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a type of protein that allows red blood cells to carry oxygen to other cells in the body. There are many types of anemia.
How is sickle cell anemia treated in children?
Management of sickle cell anemia is usually aimed at avoiding pain episodes, relieving symptoms and preventing complications. Treatments might include medications and blood transfusions. For some children and teenagers, a stem cell transplant might cure the disease.
What is anemia meaning?
Anaemia is a condition in which the number of red blood cells or the haemoglobin concentration within them is lower than normal.
What causes sickle cell anemia?
What causes sickle cell disease? Sickle cell is an inherited disease caused by a defect in a gene. A person will be born with sickle cell disease only if two genes are inherited—one from the mother and one from the father. A person who inherits just one gene is healthy and said to be a “carrier” of the disease.
How do you treat a child with sickle cell anemia?
How Is Sickle Cell Disease Treated?
- Immunizations and daily doses of penicillin to help prevent infection.
- Folic acid supplements, which can help kids make new red blood cells.
- Hydroxyurea, a medicine that makes the cells less sticky.
- L-glutamine, another medicine.
- Medicines to help manage pain when it does happen.
How long can a child live with sickle cell anemia?
Several factors predict the long term survival of a child with this disease including the severity of the disease and how much preventive measures are followed. The life expectancy has increased over the past 30 years and many individuals suffering with sickle cell disease can now live into their mid-40s and beyond.
What age group is affected by sickle cell anemia?
The age at diagnosis of sickle cell disease among the subjects ranged from 2 months to 176 months (14.7 years) with a median age of 24 months. The modal age group at which sickle cell disease was confirmed was 13 to 36 months age category.
What causes child anemia?
The most common cause of anemia is not getting enough iron. A child who is anemic does not have enough red blood cells or enough hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein that lets red blood cells carry oxygen to other cells in the body. Iron is needed to form hemoglobin.
What is sickle cell anemia?
Summary Summary. Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which the body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells that have a crescent or sickle shape. These cells do not last as long as normal, round, red blood cells, which leads to anemia (low number of red blood cells). The sickle cells also get stuck in blood vessels, blocking blood flow.
What is the purpose of this booklet about sickle cell disease?
The purpose of this booklet is to inform people about sickle cell disease and describe the roles that teachers, school staff and parents/caregivers play in supporting students living with this condition. Best practices for hemoglobinopathy newborn screening and diagnostic testing.
What happens if a baby is diagnosed with sickle cell disease?
If a baby is found to have sickle cell disease, health providers from a special follow-up newborn screening group contact the family directly to make sure that the parents know the results. The child is always retested to be sure that the diagnosis is correct.
What are the characteristics of sickle cell disease?
Overview. Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders that affects hemoglobin, the protein that carries oxygen through the body. Normally, red blood cells are disc shaped and flexible to move easily through the blood vessels. If you have sickle cell disease, your red blood cells are crescent or “sickle” shaped.