Children with sickle cell anemia are deficient in healthy red blood cells. It is the job of the red blood cells to transport oxygen to all parts of the body. There are sickle cell charities for children to help them and their families cope with this disease.
The pain can be lessened although there is no available cure. Signs can appear at the age of four months old. They are fatigue, pain, swelling in the extremities and a loss of vision.
If not diagnosed during infancy, the symptoms may be exhibited during childhood. It should be considered an emergency situation of he or she has severe abdominal pain or swelling, a yellow color to skin or eyes, fever or symptoms usually associated with stroke. These would include partial paralysis on one side of the face or body.
When only the mother or father has this gene, the child will not have it. A baby who shows the symptoms will have two parents who carry the gene. When both parents have it, if the baby does not show evidence of the disease, he or she may still be a carrier, capable of transmitting it if she or he grows up and becomes a parent.
This is true because not all the children with two parents who have the gene will show the symptoms although they do have the gene. In the case of two parents with the defect, there is a fifty-percent possibility of their baby being a carrier. Not all who are carriers become ill.
This is a disease that affects people who are of Hispanic or African-American origin. They are most often from South and Central America, the Mediterranean, India and Africa. The effects of the disorder are numerous and seriously damaging.
Fatalities are not uncommon in the infant or child. For example, if the blood flow to the brain is obstructed by the abnormal red blood cells, it can result in a stroke. Be alert to weak or numb limbs, sudden onset speech disorders or unconsciousness.
The lungs can be affected by high blood pressure. Shortness of breath or other breathing difficulties may develop. The child may have pulmonary hypertension.
When the sickle cells block the flow of oxygen, organ damage can result. It affects the kidneys, spleen and liver. It can prove fatal.
Blindness is another possible result. The disease can cause obstruction of the tiny blood vessels that take oxygen to the eyes. Vision can be lost completely. Gallstones may develop in the gall bladder because of an abnormal increase in the bilirubin level.
There is help for these children from well-known charities. Physicians specializing in hematology and specially trained nurses are devoted to providing medical care for them. A relatively new treatment that has been developed is stem-cell transplanting surgery.
One medical facility has been researching sickle cell since 1962. It is the recipient of research grants and donations from organizations and individuals. The afflicted child and family are treated without monetary contribution.
The only way to prevent this disease is to test potential parents for the gene before they plan a family. Armed with knowledge, they can decide whether or not to have a baby who is likely to suffer from the genetic disorder. Obviously, the risk is high when both carry the abnormal gene.
The pain can be lessened although there is no available cure. Signs can appear at the age of four months old. They are fatigue, pain, swelling in the extremities and a loss of vision.
If not diagnosed during infancy, the symptoms may be exhibited during childhood. It should be considered an emergency situation of he or she has severe abdominal pain or swelling, a yellow color to skin or eyes, fever or symptoms usually associated with stroke. These would include partial paralysis on one side of the face or body.
When only the mother or father has this gene, the child will not have it. A baby who shows the symptoms will have two parents who carry the gene. When both parents have it, if the baby does not show evidence of the disease, he or she may still be a carrier, capable of transmitting it if she or he grows up and becomes a parent.
This is true because not all the children with two parents who have the gene will show the symptoms although they do have the gene. In the case of two parents with the defect, there is a fifty-percent possibility of their baby being a carrier. Not all who are carriers become ill.
This is a disease that affects people who are of Hispanic or African-American origin. They are most often from South and Central America, the Mediterranean, India and Africa. The effects of the disorder are numerous and seriously damaging.
Fatalities are not uncommon in the infant or child. For example, if the blood flow to the brain is obstructed by the abnormal red blood cells, it can result in a stroke. Be alert to weak or numb limbs, sudden onset speech disorders or unconsciousness.
The lungs can be affected by high blood pressure. Shortness of breath or other breathing difficulties may develop. The child may have pulmonary hypertension.
When the sickle cells block the flow of oxygen, organ damage can result. It affects the kidneys, spleen and liver. It can prove fatal.
Blindness is another possible result. The disease can cause obstruction of the tiny blood vessels that take oxygen to the eyes. Vision can be lost completely. Gallstones may develop in the gall bladder because of an abnormal increase in the bilirubin level.
There is help for these children from well-known charities. Physicians specializing in hematology and specially trained nurses are devoted to providing medical care for them. A relatively new treatment that has been developed is stem-cell transplanting surgery.
One medical facility has been researching sickle cell since 1962. It is the recipient of research grants and donations from organizations and individuals. The afflicted child and family are treated without monetary contribution.
The only way to prevent this disease is to test potential parents for the gene before they plan a family. Armed with knowledge, they can decide whether or not to have a baby who is likely to suffer from the genetic disorder. Obviously, the risk is high when both carry the abnormal gene.
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