State of the Field
As of today in the world of sickle cell, there has been ongoing research however; no discovered solution that would relate to finding a cure in the near future has come about. Scientists research and experiment consistently for further advancements in sickle cell treatments as well as links that may be possible to derive a treatment and/or cure. Blood transfusions are a common treatment for sickle cell and other blood disorders, as it replenishes the body with healthy blood to compensate the lack of blood within the body of the person needing the blood transfusion. This treatment is a common, quick way to treat patients however it comes with many drawbacks with prolonged use; one major drawback is collapsed, bruised and weak veins which leads to the patient’s inability to receive more blood transfusions. Usually, other common treatment includes strong medicines such as Morphine, Vikatin, Valium, and Dilaudid to relieve the pain of the chronic sickle cell crisis. Because sickle cell leads to other serious disorders such as pulmonary hypertension disorder, jaundice, gallstones, acute chest syndrome, stroke, eye damage, and severe infections, many of the treatments used for these other disorders are used on sickle cell patients.
A second possible treatment for sickle cell in the distant future is gene therapy. This method is very expensive and still in the experimental stage for people. Therefore, it is not the main option for most people with sickle cell disease. Gene therapy replaces the red blood cells with a donor from usually a blood relative; which creates another negative point to gene therapy, it is extremely difficult to find a donor. Bone marrow transplant, a third option, replaces the bone marrow inside the bones of a patient as this is responsible for producing red blood cells. As with gene therapy however, it is hard to find a donor with an exact match. Also, the fact that it is extremely painful for both the donor and receiver makes the chances of treatment with bone marrow slim to none. Lastly, hydroxyurea, an FDA approved drug, is the most probable treatment for those with sickle cell. When babies with sickle cell are born, for the first few weeks, the symptoms are not seen nor felt due to the presence of fetal hemoglobin; which protects the cells from sickling. Hydroxyurea provides the fetal hemoglobin to adults to help stop sickling. This prohibits a number of symptoms from occuring and organ and tissue damage to occur. It seems as the ideal treatment, however the long term affects are unknown. The only way for this treatment to become the main treatment for sickle cell patients, scientist must continue to analyze the affects, experiment, and broaden their knowledge. Although much more is known today about sickle cell than in the past twenty to thirty years, scientist still have a long ways to go in terms of finding a useful treatment and/or a possible cure.
A second possible treatment for sickle cell in the distant future is gene therapy. This method is very expensive and still in the experimental stage for people. Therefore, it is not the main option for most people with sickle cell disease. Gene therapy replaces the red blood cells with a donor from usually a blood relative; which creates another negative point to gene therapy, it is extremely difficult to find a donor. Bone marrow transplant, a third option, replaces the bone marrow inside the bones of a patient as this is responsible for producing red blood cells. As with gene therapy however, it is hard to find a donor with an exact match. Also, the fact that it is extremely painful for both the donor and receiver makes the chances of treatment with bone marrow slim to none. Lastly, hydroxyurea, an FDA approved drug, is the most probable treatment for those with sickle cell. When babies with sickle cell are born, for the first few weeks, the symptoms are not seen nor felt due to the presence of fetal hemoglobin; which protects the cells from sickling. Hydroxyurea provides the fetal hemoglobin to adults to help stop sickling. This prohibits a number of symptoms from occuring and organ and tissue damage to occur. It seems as the ideal treatment, however the long term affects are unknown. The only way for this treatment to become the main treatment for sickle cell patients, scientist must continue to analyze the affects, experiment, and broaden their knowledge. Although much more is known today about sickle cell than in the past twenty to thirty years, scientist still have a long ways to go in terms of finding a useful treatment and/or a possible cure.
Current Events/Analysis:
Current Event: Gene Therapy is a possible treatment | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Current Event: New hope for sickle cell | |
File Size: | 16 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Treatment for other blood diseases showing hope as possible treatment for sickle cell | |
File Size: | 20 kb |
File Type: | docx |
What is the effect of the structure of a red blood cell vs a sickle red blood cell | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |
Cycle of normal and sickle blood cells & how hemoglobin function in both types of cells | |
File Size: | 15 kb |
File Type: | docx |