Sickle cell anemia?

The most common sign of infection is fever and it should not be taken lightly.

Pneumonia develops a hundred times more frequently in children with sickle cell anemia than in the general population. Respiratory, intestinal and other infectious diseases are caused by the spleen’s inability to eliminate bacteria.

In people with sickle cell disease, there is a rapid destruction of red blood cells which are broken down into bilirubin. Too much bilirubin in the blood can lead to the formation of gallstones which often leads to fever, pain, nausea and vomiting. Gallbladder surgery may be necessary.

On average, puberty in children with sickle cell disease is delayed by about two years compared to healthy children.

When a stroke occurs, red blood cell transfusions should be given every month to reduce the risk of a second stroke which could be fatal.

Poor blood circulation in the hip area can cause part of the bone to die. The same is true for the knees and it requires surgery to solidify it.

Sickle cell disease can damage kidney tissue. The kidneys of people with sickle cell disease do not accumulate and retain water effectively. Dehydration triggers seizures and increases blood viscosity.

Hypoxemia occurs in the following situations:

• Altitude over 1500m
• Aircraft not or poorly pressurized (excluding regular jets)
• More or less violent physical effort
• Extended standing
• The recooling
• Physical and psychological stress
• Clothes too tight
• Cross-legged positions
• Fever
• Dehydration
• etc …

Perhaps the biggest barrier to success for some children with sickle cell disease is the fact that they may miss more than 50 days of the school calendar because of the care they require to relieve their symptoms.

Children with sickle cell disease need food hygiene because nutritional deficiencies worsen anemia and decrease resistance to infections. Additional intake of folate and protein for example is necessary and parents should be informed of food groups that contain these elements. Beware of iron overload for patients subject to blood transfusions!

Sickle cell anemia is cited as an example of a favorable mutation because the anemia gene has some resistance to malaria. Unfortunately this advantage is accompanied by several small problems. For example, red blood cells affected by sickle cell anemia are less efficient than normal cells at transporting oxygen. The individual with sickle cell anemia can be subject to very painful attacks or even death, due to blockages of the sickle cells in the blood vessels.