AN ENEMY OF TRUE LOVE– 3

Previously, we looked at the symptoms and prevention of the Sickle Cell Anaemia. I'm surely you learnt a lot.

Let's have the concluding part of this series as we consider treatment.

TREATMENT OF SICKLE CELL ANEMIA; 

The principle of management of sickle cell anemia patients include

1- Rehydration 

2- Blood transfusion 

3- Antibiotics (following blood investigation findings)

4- Analgesics

5- Bone marrow transplant 

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the best approach to the management and prevention of sickle cell anemia is via the primary prevention method. Definite cure for sickle cell anemia is bone marrow transplant–done very early in life.

Pain is a defining feature of Sickle cell disease. Patients experience unpredictable recurrent and persistent pain throughout life, resulting in frequent hospitalizations and lower life span.

Indeed, love is very beautiful when you find one; but don't let it blind you from the things that call for importance. If you're not a sickle cell patient, you probably will not understand what they go through in life and you really need to be grateful. If you have seen any of them in crisis, you would definitely agree that they go through hell. No amount of love is worth the pain of a sickle cell patient when he/she is in crisis. So, don't trade love with the health your unborn children. Please ensure you know the genotype status of your partner before saying "I do" or "I will marry you".

Thank you for reading through the three articles, I hope you see you some other time.

Bye for now👋

Miracle Oladoyin.

AN ENEMY OF TRUE LOVE— 2

Hello everyone!

Welcome to the second part of this series.

We've been looking at Genotype Incompatibility and it's consequences– an enemy of true love.

Today we'll be looking at the symptoms and prevention.

SYMPTOMS 

• Features of infections
• Vaso-oclusive crisis and/or acute chest syndrome characterized by pains in the bones, joint, chest.
• Enlargement of the spleen
• Leg ulcer
• Kidney disfunction
• stroke
• Heart dysfunction
• Stunted growth
• Slender extremities 
• Priapism
• Fatigue
• Diizziness
• Jaundice
• Shortness of breath
• Pale skin
• Hypoxemia or hypoxia

PREVENTION

Prevention follows primary, secondary, and tertiary modalities

Primary prevention means prevention done before the disease  which include; health education to the masses, teaching the young unmarried people things like genotyping in their premarital agenda, the economic and emotional implication of taking care of a sickle cell anemia patient.

Secondary prevention is early detection and prompt treatment of the disease, which can be achieved by encouraging hospital visits rather than self medication or checking the internet for your symptoms practiced by majority of individuals today.

Tertiary prevention is the rehabilitation of affected individuals and managing the various complications of sickle cell anemia.

In the next article on this series, we'll conclude with the treatment of Sickle Cell Anaemia.

Miracle Oladoyin

AN ENEMY OF TRUE LOVE— 1

GENOTYPE INCOMPATIBILITY AND IT CONSEQUENCES– AN ENEMY OF TRUE LOVE.

Love is a very beautiful thing, it involves lots of sacrifice, care and commitment. 

Imagine the feeling you get when you are in love with someone you feel is the right person? Everything seems perfect, the whole world is still for a while, everything seems so good about the both of you and then you are willing to take certain risks just because you feel you can't do without each other.

Love becomes blind, and we ignore things we are supposed to take note of because of how beautiful the love is. We forget the possible consequences of our actions.

Truth is, as beautiful as love is, there are certain things that must not be neglected. 

Take for instance the issue of genotype incompatibility; this should not be neglected for the sake of the possible future consequence. 

Genotype incompatibility between lovers could lead to giving birth to children with sickle cell disease.

Sickle cell disease is a group of disorder typically inherited from a person's parents. It is found mostly in sub-Saharan Africa and some parts of south east Asia. It is an haemoglobinopathy that is, a disease of haemoglobin component of red blood cells.

Haemoglobin is made up of haem and globin, globin is basically chains (alpha and beta) of amino acids sequence. The 6th position of the beta chain of the globin is where the defect lies; there is substitution of glutamate for valine which makes the red blood cells to sickle whenever they undergo oxidative stress (a decrease level of oxygen). There are homozygous and heterozygous sickle cell anemia.

When a patient is homozygous it means the patient is SS (sickle cell disease) while when a patient is heterozygous the patient is AS  and he is a carrier (inherited a copy of the sickle haemoglobin), when two carriers get married to each other there are high chances that some of their children will  inherit two (2) copies of the sickle haemoglobin; homozygous sickle cell anemia (SS).

Sickle cell patients are however normal human beings, they only manifest the symptoms of illness when they are in crises.

We'll take a look at the symptoms in the next article.

Miracle Oladoyin