Sickle Cell

04/01/2022

Please let's hear from you.

04/01/2022

Happy New Year to all our Warriors. It's been a while.

07/09/2017

Have u heard of Priapism?

Sickle cell disease is the most common cause of ischemic priapism

Priapism is a condition in which a p***s remains erect for hours in the absence of stimulation or after stimulation has ended.

There are three types: ischemic (low-flow), nonischemic (high-flow), and recurrent ischemic (intermittent). Most cases are ischemic. Ischemic priapism is generally painful while nonischemic priapism is not

12/07/2017

Hydroxyurea
The first approved drug for the causative treatment of sickle-cell anaemia, hydroxyurea, was shown to decrease the number and severity of attacks in a study in 1995 and shown to possibly increase survival time in a study in 2003. This is achieved, in part, by reactivating fetal haemoglobin production in place of the haemoglobin S that causes sickle-cell anaemia. Hydroxyurea had previously been used as a chemotherapy agent, and there is some concern that long-term use may be harmful, but this risk has been shown to be either absent or very small and it is likely that the benefits outweigh the risk
(source; wikipedia)

28/06/2017

heard of sickle cell retinopathy?
its my first time of hearing about it tho, and this is what i heard, i hope it is useful
it is damage of the retina in the eyes, it occurs when red blood cells get stucked or trapped in blood vessels in the retina. when this happens, the trapped cells can cause
1. a decrease in blood flow which leads to potentially permanent damage of the retina
2. bleeding of the eye which happens when the eye makes new blood vessels which comes out weaker and thinner than the original and then break open and bleed.
when the retina becomes damaged, changes n eyesight may occur.
THIS DAMAGE MAY LEAD TO BLINDNESS IF IT IS NOT TREATED

(watch out for description of the symptoms coming up on the next post) hope this was useful to some extent

28/06/2017

18/06/2017

Sickle Cell walk in Lagos to commemorate the World 17/6/2017

15/06/2017

join us with other sickle cell foundations at Eko Atlantic for Sickle cell walk

09/06/2017

pictures from the just concluded free TCD test. more pictures coming up

02/06/2017

TCD
do you know that a child with sickle cell has the tendency of having stroke if not properly cared for? yes, i said STROKE, as in S-T-R-O-K-E as in that type that i thought only happens to adult, as in that type that makes their speech go off, their hands and legs get paralysed and they start drooling.
the first time i heard this, i was shocked, i thought they were joking not until i saw a child with it and i was like OMG! this boy, 6 years, couldnt walk his hands were paralysed (forgive me if i dont use the ryt medical terms) the boy couldnt eat well and his mum had to feed him and even with that half of the food was still coming out of his mouth and i stood there in shock , seriously a 6 years old!!!!!!!
imagine a child going through so much, a child that cant still express his or her feelings yet not to talk of explaining how the pain is, adults go through this thing and it takes them months if not years to recover from stroke thats if they do all the exercise and physiotherapy thingy not to now think of a child, i mean what exercise are you gonna tell a 2 year old to do?

so there is something called transcranial doppler test TCD, this test is done so as to know the tendency of the child having stroke so one can work towards that not happenng, so normally its either the child is standard or at high risk. it means that every sickle cell child has to be cared for specially an carefully

24/05/2017

pictures from the free genotype test conducted

07/02/2017

Sickle cell anemia

Self-management

Taking the following steps to stay healthy may help you avoid complications of sickle cell anemia:

1. Take folic acid supplements daily, and choose a healthy diet. Bone marrow needs folic acid and other vitamins to make new red blood cells. Your doctor might recommend a folic acid supplement. Choose a diet that focuses on a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains.

2. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration can increase your risk of a sickle cell crisis. Drink water throughout your day, aiming for about eight glasses a day. Increase the amount of water you drink if you exercise or spend time in a hot, dry climate.

3. Avoid temperature extremes. Exposure to extreme heat or cold can increase your risk of a sickle cell crisis.

4. Exercise regularly, but don't overdo it. Talk with your doctor about how much exercise is right for you.

5. Use over-the-counter (OTC) medications with caution. Use OTC pain medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, Children's Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) sparingly, if at all, because of the possible effect on your kidneys. Ask your doctor before taking OTC drugs.

Coping and support

6. If you or someone in your family has sickle cell anemia, you may want help with the stresses of this lifelong disease. Consider:

7. Finding someone to talk with. Sickle cell centers and clinics can provide information and counseling. Ask your doctor or the staff at a sickle cell center if there are support groups for families in your area. Talking with others who are facing the same challenges you are can be helpful.

8. Exploring ways to cope with the pain. Work with your doctor to find ways to control your pain. Pain medications can't always take all the pain away. Different techniques work for different people, but it might be worth trying heating pads, hot baths, massages or physical therapy.

9. Learning about sickle cell anemia to make informed decisions about care. If you have a child with sickle cell anemia, learn as much as you can about the disease. Ask questions during your child's appointments. Ask your health care team to recommend good sources of information.
Prevention

10. If you carry the sickle cell trait, seeing a genetic counselor before trying to conceive can help you understand your risk of having a child with sickle cell anemia. He or she can also explain possible treatments, preventive measures and reproductive options.

Sickle cell anemia

Self-management

Taking the following steps to stay healthy may help you avoid complications of sickle cell anemia:

1. Take folic acid supplements daily, and choose a healthy diet. Bone marrow needs folic acid and other vitamins to make new red blood cells. Your doctor might recommend a folic acid supplement. Choose a diet that focuses on a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, as well as whole grains.

2. Drink plenty of water. Dehydration can increase your risk of a sickle cell crisis. Drink water throughout your day, aiming for about eight glasses a day. Increase the amount of water you drink if you exercise or spend time in a hot, dry climate.

3. Avoid temperature extremes. Exposure to extreme heat or cold can increase your risk of a sickle cell crisis.

4. Exercise regularly, but don't overdo it. Talk with your doctor about how much exercise is right for you.

5. Use over-the-counter (OTC) medications with caution. Use OTC pain medications, such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB, Children's Motrin, others) or naproxen sodium (Aleve) sparingly, if at all, because of the possible effect on your kidneys. Ask your doctor before taking OTC drugs.

Coping and support

6. If you or someone in your family has sickle cell anemia, you may want help with the stresses of this lifelong disease. Consider:

7. Finding someone to talk with. Sickle cell centers and clinics can provide information and counseling. Ask your doctor or the staff at a sickle cell center if there are support groups for families in your area. Talking with others who are facing the same challenges you are can be helpful.

8. Exploring ways to cope with the pain. Work with your doctor to find ways to control your pain. Pain medications can't always take all the pain away. Different techniques work for different people, but it might be worth trying heating pads, hot baths, massages or physical therapy.

9. Learning about sickle cell anemia to make informed decisions about care. If you have a child with sickle cell anemia, learn as much as you can about the disease. Ask questions during your child's appointments. Ask your health care team to recommend good sources of information.
Prevention

10. If you carry the sickle cell trait, seeing a genetic counselor before trying to conceive can help you understand your risk of having a child with sickle cell anemia. He or she can also explain possible treatments, preventive measures and reproductive options.

07/11/2016

40m Nigerians suffer from sickle cell anaemia – Pepple

No fewer than 40 million Nigerians are currently suffering from Sickle Cell Anaemia, President, The Sickle Cell Society, Ireland (SCSI) and Sickle Cell Awareness Initiative Nigerian-Ireland, Mrs. Esther Pepple Onolememen has disclosed.

This is just as she said, the situation might become an epidemic if proactive measures are not taking by federal government.

Meanwhile, corroborating her position, founder and coordinator of a Kaduna-based non-governmental organisation, Sickle Cell Patients Health Promotion Centre (SCPHPC), Hajia Badiya Magaji Inuwa, hinted that she’s currently giving care to about 3,000 SCA patients in Kaduna without any assistance from government.

She stated that she founded the NGO some years back after one of her two children who are living with SCA died and concern for other parents and patients who may not know where to access care.

Speaking during the official global flag-off awareness campaign on sickle cell in Kaduna State to help members of the public, Mrs Onolememem, who is coincidentally also having two children living with the scourge further added that about 300,000 live births are being added annually.

‎According to her, over 25 percent of adults in Nigeria have the traits of sickle Cell, while Infant Mortality rate is about 8 percent, and annual growth rate at 3.2 percent.

‎Sahe said, “the percentage of people living with sickle cell in Nigeria is high, if you look at it statistically is high and if you project the next ten years more than half of Nigeria’s population will be affected.

“If 40 million Nigerians are affected by sickle Cell as at now that we about 170 million, that’s huge and if you look at the number of birth each year of carriers almost 300,000, what does that tell you?
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“Meaning in the next three‎ years alone we would have about 900,000 birth of carriers adding to the 40 million, you find that sickle cell will gradually become an epidemic in Nigeria if there are no response”, she added.

The only way to reduce the menace according to her is for everyone; government, organisations, individuals and the community to come together ‎and understand that sickle matter is a campaign that advocates for improved healthcare, improved research, improved family support, and improved education and awareness.

‎Speaking with newsmen, Hajiya Badiya Inuwa, restated that the best and sure antidote to sickle cell is awareness, quickly appealed to governments at all levels to‎ invest in awareness and research that will help the public to understand the cause of sickle cell and start screening at birth so young Nigerians will know their genotype before going into any relationship that can lead to marriage.
‎”Research and findings have shown that the antidote to sickle cell anaemia is not in the medical laboratories, but it is in the simple education and enlightenment of our people to do the right thing before marriage.

“If we all follow this simple rule of knowing our genotype before marriage and abiding to it, the occurrence of sickle cell anaemia will be significantly reduced to a small ‎percentage of what it is now or maybe even eliminate altogether by 2080.”

She expressed disappointment over the way the people are turning deaf ear to this simple solution that inadvertently saves the future of their children on the pretense of ‎’love’.

“I do not see love in any affair that knowingly or carelessly produces children sentenced to a life of suffering. Such relationships are built on ignorance, greed and selfishness,” She ‎said.