Sickle Cell Disease and Stem Cell Treatment

Posted by Prapti Chauhan on December 7th, 2020

Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited disorder of the red blood cells. The red cells in this disease are deformed, and instead of looking like a disc, they look like a sickle, hence giving the disease its name. Your baby can get the abnormal sickle cell genes from either your or your spouse. If each of you carries a trait of this disease, then your baby is most likely to be born with sickle cell disease.  

The Causes

This is a genetic disorder that runs in the family. It is caused by deformed red cells that have lower oxygen-carrying capacity and cause complications. Due to their abnormal shape, these cells are not able to flow smoothly through small blood vessels and end up getting stuck to each other. This results in blockage of the blood vessel, causing the blood flow to that particular part of the body to stop. When organs don’t receive blood and the oxygen carried by the blood, it leads to extreme pain and even organ damage.

The Symptoms

Symptoms of the sickle cell disease usually start showing by 4 months of age. These are known as Crises which can cause severe pain in the back, joints, chest, and legs. In cases where the blood vessels are blocked by the abnormal cells, other diseases will manifest due to the damage of organs like spleen, kidneys, heart, liver, etc.

The Treatment

Treatments for sickle cell disease vary based on the severity of the condition. Your doctor may recommend one of the following methods to manage your disease:

1. Medicines: The most common medication prescribed for this disease is Hydroxyurea. It has to be taken daily to manage the pain crises in patients. However, pregnant women or those trying to conceive are advised not to take hydroxyurea. In cases where Hydroxyurea is not effective, the doctor may prescribe L-glutamine to manage pain crises and acute chest syndrome. Other than these two medicines, over-the-counter pain relief pills and antibiotics are used to manage the pain and treat infections in patients.
   
2. Medical procedures: There are a few procedures that can be done to improve the quality of life and reduce the severity of the disease in patients. They are:

Blood Transfusion– This is done in cases where the patient is at a higher risk of getting a stroke due to multiple clogged blood vessels. Regular transfusion can help minimize this risk.

Bone Marrow Transplant – This procedure is used to treat severe cases of sickle cell disease effectively. The hematopoietic stem cells in the bone marrow are transplanted from a healthy donor to the patient. These new stem cells then produce healthy red blood cells in the body. However, it is difficult to find a matched bone marrow donor for many patients. If the bone marrow is not matched, then serious complications can occur, which can even be fatal.

Stem Cell Therapy – An emerging treatment method for sickle cell disease is stem cell transplant. According to research conducted between 2004 and 2013, 30 patients between the ages of 16 and 65 underwent a lesser toxic form of chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplant from their sibling. It was seen that the sickle cell disease was reversed in 87% of patients. Their pain reduced considerably, their hemoglobin levels were normal, and their dependency on drugs also significantly reduced.

If you or a family member has the sickle cell trait, then you should probably consider cord blood banking for your unborn child. Cord blood stem cells can offer a cure from sickle cell disease for them or their siblings in the future.

Author Bio: 

Prapti Chauhan is a freelance content writer by her profession and has over 11 years of enriching experience into blogging and article writing. Over the years, she has gained popularity as a content creator who specialises on topics such as pregnancy, parenting and new-born childcare. However, her forte is on writing articles on stem cell cord blood banking, stem cell therapy and research.