World Sickle Cell Day 2024 was observed on June 19 with the theme “Hope Through Progress: Advancing Sickle Cell Care Globally.”
- This day was established by a UN General Assembly resolution in 2008 to highlight sickle cell disease as a critical global health issue.
About Sickle Cell Disease:
- SCD is a group of inherited blood disorders affecting hemoglobin, the protein responsible for carrying oxygen throughout the body.
Causative Mechanism:
- A child must inherit a sickle cell gene from both parents.
- Both parents can be carriers, or one parent may have SCD while the other is a carrier.
- Prevalence: SCD commonly affects people of African descent, Hispanic-Americans from Central and South America, and those of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian, and Mediterranean descent.
Symptoms of SCD:
- Anemia
- Pain crisis or sickle crisis
- Increased infections
- Leg ulcers
- Bone damage
- Early gallstones
- Kidney damage and loss of body water in urine
- Eye damage
- Multiple organ failure
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