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Saturday, 31 January 2015

The Details On Sickle Cell Charities

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By Ines Flores


Charity is a humanitarian act. There are a lot of charities in operation today that strive to support different causes, including those related to health problems. Sickle-cell disease or anemia refers to a hereditary disorder of blood that affects people globally. Numerous sickle cell charities are in existence and strive to offer research, care, education and support to those impacted by this disease.

Sickle cell can be extremely painful and difficult to live with. It affects people of all ages and is typically diagnosed when an individual is young. SCD is marked by an abnormality within the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin molecule of the red blood cells. This causes cells to take on a different appearance, one that is rigid and sickle-shaped or otherwise abnormal.

The disease is associated with many different acute and chronic conditions, such as sick-cell crises, increased risk of death, stroke and infections. People with this condition have taken on two abnormal copies of a gene, one from each of their parents. There are also subtypes of the disease that will differ based on the particular mutation of a gene. Some may find that a single copy is only abnormal, which is called sick-cell trait. People with this do not typically experience the same symptoms as those with the disease.

Charities for this health condition strive to address issues associated with the disease. They encourage and help fund research to learn about ways to better manage and even cure this problem. The money and donations raised for these organizations also go to support sufferers and their family. This might include funding educational programs that ensure people become more aware of this condition and how best to manage it. Many positive initiatives are made possible through these charities.

It is essential that people do adequate research on the charities they plan to get involved with. Most are quality and trustworthy, but there are scammers too. People should know where their donations are going and how they will be used. Many resources are available to help determine the validity of these charities. Different kinds of donations, not just monetary, may be given to help benefit the organization.

Worldwide, people are affected by this. Those unable to manage the condition are expected to face consequences, including shorter life expectancy. Blood tests, which are usually done on newborns while in the hospital, are used to identify this disease. It can also be detected before a baby is born. Kids that have SCD are more likely to develop serious infections and other health conditions.

Unfortunately there is no remedy for all SCD sufferers. Different solutions may be used for disease management. Most charities that support this cause put funds toward researching and studying other solutions for curing, preventing or treating SCD.

There are only a couple options considered more permanent resolutions, they include: bone marrow or stem cell transplants. These are both recognized as invasive procedures that come with many risks and potential side effects. Many patients are waiting to have bone marrow transplants done, but the demand is high and the supply is often not. For this to be successful, a close match must be available too. Usually these options are only employed for severe cases.




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