World Sickle Cell Awareness Day 2021: What is SCD? symptoms and importance of raising awareness!

Every year June 19 is celebrated as World Sickle Cell Awareness Day, the day aims to raise awareness related to sickle cell disorder. It is a genetic red blood cell disorder. People having sickle cell disorder don’t have enough healthy red blood cells to distribute throughout the body. This disorder makes normal life difficult to survive and the patient needs regular blood transfusions. 

This disorder is most commonly seen in countries like – India, South America, Africa, Central America, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Greece, and Italy. 

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So, what is Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD)?

It is an umbrella term given to a group of blood-related disorders typically transferred by parents to the child. The most common type of disorder is known as Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA), it is caused due to the abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells. Due to this disorder, the red blood cells become misshapen and break down. These weak cells die early which results in the shortage of red blood cells in the body and this may block blood flow resulting in pain, which is called sickle cell crisis. Later, a person can even witness damage in organs like the liver, kidneys, lungs, heart and spleen. This disorder may be fatal in some cases. 

Symptoms of Sickle Cell Disorder:

• Signs and symptoms of sickle cell anaemia usually appear after four to five months but they can vary from person to person and they do change over time. 
• Patients with SCD suffer from anaemia as they witness a shortage of healthy blood cells as red blood cells die at their early stage.
• The supply of oxygen to the body is less due to which a patient may face fatigue and dizziness.
• Pain in body parts is the most common symptom of sickle cell anaemia but it may vary from person to person and the intensity of pain may also vary.  The pain may last from a few hours to a few days.
• This disorder may cause swelling in the hands and feet and the infected body is prone to other infections. 
• In children, a shortage of red blood cells can lead to slower growth.

Here are some salient things related to SCD:

• Patients must regularly visit their doctors for check-ups.
• Patients must follow the guidance of doctors and medications and treatment must be done as per the suggestion of the doctor.
• Patients should avoid infection by taking simple precautionary measures like – washing hands. 
• Patients must follow healthy lifestyle habits like drinking enough water, eating healthy and nutritious food, eight to ten hours of sleep and many more. 

Significance of World Sickle Cell Awareness Day:

This day helps more and more people to understand the condition and help the people having this disorder. SCD is a major health concern and everyone must understand the main objective of World Sickle Day, which is to raise awareness about SCD and support sickle cell patients.