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Sickle Cell Charities For Children Help With Medical Care

By : taouodt
On : 05:02
In :
By Marci Glover


There is a low level of healthy red blood cells in children who have sickle cell anemia. They are ill because these blood cells are not providing the necessary function of carrying oxygen to all body parts. Coping with this disease is difficult. Sickle cell charities for children help the victims and their families.

This disease cannot be cured, but, in most cases the pain can be reduced. The signs of the disorder show up after a baby is four months old. They include a pain crisis, fatigue, swollen feet and hands and visual problems due to damaged retinas.

The symptoms leading to diagnosis may appear later in childhood. Severe illness is indicated by abdominal pain, a yellow tinge to the whites of the eyes, fever or the signs associated with a stroke. You may notice paralysis on one side of the body or face. These are emergency situations.

If only one parent carries the gene, the child will not be stricken. Both parents must have it in order to have a baby with overt symptoms. If only one carries it, their baby may still pass the defect on to their own children in the future.

It is not a given that all babies of a mother and father who carry the trait will suffer from sickle cell anemia. They have a twenty-five percent risk of their baby being born with the disease. The possibility of them having a baby who is a carrier is fifty-percent.

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.

An infant or child can suffer a stroke due to the malfunction of the oxygen-carrying red blood cells. In the child with sickle cell, these cells are abnormally-shaped and few in number. There may be a sudden speech disorder, weak arms and legs and loss of consciousness.

If oxygen flow is obstructed, major problems in organ function can result. Excessive bilirubin can build up in the liver in some children. These organ functions are necessary for life to continue.

If the flow of oxygen to the kidneys, spleen or liver is blocked these organs can break down. Excessive bilirubin can build up in the liver, for example. When these major organs stop functioning, it can result in death.

Blindness is another possibility. The tiny blood vessels that take oxygen to the eyes can be obstructed leading to loss of vision over time. Gallstones can develop due to the high level of a substance called bilirubin.

Well-known charities improve the lives of children who are stricken with this damaging genetic disease. They provide the leading hematologists, doctors who specialize in blood disorders, and specialized nursing care. One of the latest developments is stem-cell transplantation 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.

There is no cure for this genetic disorder. It can only be prevented. Potential parents from the ethnic groups affected can be tested to determine if they carry the gene. If both have this genetic defect, they can decide not to have babies who may live a life of illness and suffering.




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