Sickle cell anemia in children is genetic or inherited condition causes anemia and often causes painful crises, and can lead to serious infections and even stroke. Sickle cell disease occurs almost exclusively among African-American children. About “10 percent of the African-American population are carriers of the single, abnormal, receive gene for sickle cell anemia and about one in 400 children will suffer from the disease in some form” (Web 2). If both parents are carriers, there is a one in four chance any one of their children will inherit the disorder itself.
One the first symptom of sickle cell anemia in children is an unusual swelling of the fingers and toes “hand crisis” (Patterson, 1994). Generally, these symptoms occur by age two. Between the ages of two and six, many children with condition, experience episodes of severe pain, often called ‘sickle cell crisis’. The pains appear in the belly, joints, muscles, and long bones. In many instances the pains have been mistaken for other conditions such as appendicitis or arthritis. Sickle cell disease can affect the lungs, and cause swelling to the liver and spleen. The kidneys often become affected; leading to excessive, dilute urine that often results in bedwetting.
Because of damage to the spleen, children with sickle cell disease are more susceptible to certain kinds of infection, and are often placed on preventive antibiotics. A fever in a children with sickle cell disease needs to be taken more seriously than in an otherwise healthy child. If a child has frequent or severe crises, pain medication may be required on a regular basis, and sometimes blood transfusions are used to control symptoms. Sickle cell disease may cause life-threatening complications, leading to a shortened life expectancy. Children and their families benefit from participating in a comprehensive sickle cell program............
