Testing for sickle cell urged.Guidelines issued by a federally supported panel of experts call for screening all newborns for sickle cell disease sickle cell disease or sickle cell anemia, inherited disorder of the blood in which the oxygen-carrying hemoglobin pigment in erythrocytes (red blood cells) is abnormal. , a genetic disorder that is most common among blacks but which can strike others with ancestors from the Caribbean, South and Central America Central America, narrow, southernmost region (c.202,200 sq mi/523,698 sq km) of North America, linked to South America at Colombia. It separates the Caribbean from the Pacific. , Turkey, Greece, the Middle East and India. A committee of physicians, scientists and patient representatives commissioned by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research issued the new clinical guidelines in April 1993. The group called for universal screening because it said early medical treatment can significantly reduce the rate of illness and death caused by sickle cell disease. Universal screening already is performed in 34 states, while targeted screening is conducted in others. Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition in which red blood cells Red blood cells Cells that carry hemoglobin (the molecule that transports oxygen) and help remove wastes from tissues throughout the body. Mentioned in: Bone Marrow Transplantation red blood cells , the oxygen-carrying component of the blood, change from a normal disc shape to a crescent, or sickle, shape. This leads to the death of cells and damage to body tissue. The most common form of the disorder, sickle cell anemia sickle cell anemia n. A chronic, usually fatal inherited form of anemia marked by crescent-shaped red blood cells, occurring almost exclusively in Blacks, and characterized by fever, leg ulcers, jaundice, and episodic pain in the joints. , can cause jaundice jaundice (jôn`dĭs, jän`–), abnormal condition in which the body fluids and tissues, particularly the skin and eyes, take on a yellowish color as a result of an excess of bilirubin. , muscular and joint pain, skin ulcers, gallstones Gallstones Definition A gallstone is a solid crystal deposit that forms in the gallbladder, which is a pear-shaped organ that stores bile salts until they are needed to help digest fatty foods. and early childhood death. About one in every 375 African-Americans is affected. The disease develops when a baby inherits the sickle cell trait sickle cell trait n. A hereditary condition, usually harmless and without symptoms, in which an individual carries only one gene for sickle cell anemia. from both parents. About eight percent of the African-American population caries caries or tooth decay Localized disease that causes decay and cavities in teeth. It begins at the tooth's surface and may penetrate the dentin and the pulp cavity. the gene pattern for sickle cell. The incidence is lower in other population groups. When both parents have the trait, the chances are one in four that their baby will inherit it. Under the new guidelines, the committee recommended that blood tests for sickle cell disease be added to the other screening tests that are now routinely conducted for newborns. If a baby is found to have sickle cell anemia, the panel recommends that it be treated with penicillin starting at about 2 months after birth and continuing until at least age 5. This therapy can reduce bacterial infections and pneumonia, a major cause of deaths among sickle cell anemia patients, the guidelines say. The committee also recommended that parents of sickle cell anemia children be taught to watch for symptoms of developing complications, such as fever, unusual sleepiness or irritability, rapid breathing or vomiting. The guidelines also called for regular medical checkups, along with close attention to immunizations. |
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