The Sickle Cell Crisis

There are ways to prevent episodic sickle cell crisis such as staying adequately hydrated, limiting physical activities, blood transfusions and taking medication such as hydroxyurea. In Addition, one of the biggest issue with Sickle cell anemia is lack of funding which is due to the fact that it is not officially recognized as a health disparity topic by CDC. Another disparity is the fact that in terms of funding and treatment; SCD pales in comparison to other diseases. the funding disparities for research on sickle cell drugs and cures compared to other pediatric diseases such as Cystic fibrosis. “Cystic fibrosis a disease that affects primarily Caucasians and affects only a third of the numbers of people compared to Sickle cell but still
receives three times more national funding” (Reese et., al 2010). The first funding for sickle cell disease began thirty years ago the federal legislation dealing with sickle cell was accepted. This legislation present notable opportunity to improve sickle cell lives but then issues began with the equality of support from government. There was a gap in the funding with researchers and clinical care SCD receive less public and professional compared with other prevalent diseases SCD was not the topic of charities or researchers because it only affects 1 race the most. People must recognize that race issue affects the ease of use for improvement of care and resources for researchers. Since recognition that SCD has been a distinct disease race was the question. One aspect that was striking was the overlap between states refusing the Medicaid expansion and the map of distribution of African-American populations and sickle cell. It is unclear how much reflects economics vs. differences in politics vs. racism, or what other factors might contribute in regard to available funding provided for sickle cell anemia. There are also noticeable disparities in how pain is treated among different ethnic groups.
Lastly, individuals affected sickle cell anemia require advise and counseling from experts, medical professionals, and social workers in order to maintain a healthy lifestyle and avoid frequent trips to the hospital.
Therefore, provision of optimal care plans and effective treatments for patients with sickle cell anemia must cumulate more research and funding. A large issue with the type of aid offered to sickle cell patients comes from the lack of treatment and medicines that are made available to patients. Painful attacks sickle crisis are things patients with SCD are subject to regularly. Crisis tend to render sickle cell patients immobile for large periods of time with intense sharp pains to the joints muscles and head. A sickle cell crisis occurs because of the accumulation of red blood cells in the blood stream causing a blockage. This block causes restricted flow of blood towards the rest of the body. Studies have shown that because the available treatment for sickle cell is limited and the availability of treatment medications are scarce, the population of people suffering from SCD are left medically neglected, prompting the need for more research and fund allocation towards sickle cell research even more evident. In a study performed by “the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute over the effectiveness of Hydroxyurea in treating SCD, showed that there was a noticeable decrease in their attacks, and a 40% reduction in mortality” (Halsey
2003).