World Sickle Cell Day
Today (19 June) is World Sickle Cell Day.
Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited genetic disease. The sickle globin genes, inherited from parents, code for production of abnormal haemoglobin. Many researchers are working on this disease. Here are some progress from research.
• Research has helped patients live longer. In the 1970s, life expectancy for individuals with sickle cell disease was about 14 years. Today, many individuals live into their 40s and longer. • U.S. FDA approval in the 1990s of the drug hydroxyurea to treat adults with the disease was a major advance. Daily oral therapy with hydroxyurea reduces pain crises and hospital visits by more than 50 percent in most patients. • Antibiotics to prevent and treat infections have reduced childhood deaths from the disease by more than 80 percent. • When both parents have sickle cell trait, each of their children has a 1 in 4 chance of having sickle cell disease. Tests can be performed early in pregnancy to determine if a child is affected. • Trials using new bone marrow and stem-cell transplant procedures have cured a small number of some adults with sickle cell disease. • Volunteers are critical to conducting clinical trials and have helped advance the field. More volunteers are needed to continue our progress.
http://worldsicklecellday.webs.com/