3-1

MediFocus MedCenter ©

Sickle Cell Anemia
(HM012)

Introduction

Sickle cell disease (CSD) is an inherited blood disorder, characterized primarily by chronic anemia and periodic episodes of pain. The underlying problem involves hemoglobin, a component of the red cells in the blood. The hemoglobin molecules in each red blood cell carry oxygen from the lungs to the body organs and tissues and bring back carbon dioxide to the lungs.

By occluding blood vessels sickle cells cause vascular injury. This vaso-occlusion, which is responsible for most of the severe complications of sickle cell disease, can occur wherever blood flows. This process produces the periodic episodes of pain and ultimately can damage the tissues and vital organs and lead to other serious medical problems.

One of every 600 African Americans in the United States has sickle cell anemia. Fortunately, because of significant advances in treatment and preventive care, persons with sickle cell disease now survive into their fifth and sixth decades.

Health maintenance is extremely important in SCD and must include measures to prevent specific disease complications or at least to facilitate their diagnosis and minimize their impact.

Management of a crisis involves control of pain, maintenance of adequate hydration, and treatment of any underlying precipitating factors.

MediFocus Guides... When You Need Trustworthy Medical Information

The Medifocus Guide on Sickle Cell Anemia provides answers to the following important questions and medical issues:


What Your Doctor Reads:

This MediFocus Guide contains an extensive listing of citations and abstracts of recent journal articles that have been published about this condition in trustworthy medical journals. This is the same type of information that is available to physicians and other health care professionals. A partial selection of journal articles that are abstracted in this MediFocus Guide includes:


MediFocus Guides... When You Need Trustworthy Medical Information

MediFocus.com understands that consumers who are facing serious medical issues need access to credible, up-to-date medical information to help them make informed health-care decisions. That's why we've developed the MediFocus Guides...the most advanced and trustworthy patient research guides for over 200 chronic and life-threatening conditions. Each MediFocus Guide includes a detailed overview of the condition including information about diagnosis, treatment options, cutting-edge research, and new developments; excerpts of important journal articles from the current medical literature focusing on standard treatments and treatment options; a directory of leading authors and medical institutions who specialize in the treatment of the condition; and a listing of organizations and support groups where you can obtain additional information about the illness.

MediFocus Guides are the perfect solution for consumers who wish to gain an in-depth understanding of their medical issue and avail themselves of the same type of professional level medical information that is used by physicians and other health-care professionals to help then in the clinical decision making process.

© Copyright 2000-2001 Medifocus.com, Inc. All rights reserved.


Return to the MedFocus Medical Center Main Directory