How Sickle Cell Disease Dey Take Happen: For Person Wey No Know
Sickle cell disease (SCD) na one kind disease wey dey affect red blood cells for body. Na red blood cells dey carry oxygen waka go everywhere for body. To understand wetin sickle cell be, make we first sabi how red blood cells dey take work.
Wetin Be Red Blood Cells And Wetin Dem Dey Do?
Normally, red blood cells dey shape like smooth, round disc, like doughnut wey no get hole for middle. This kind shape dey help am waka pass small blood vessels sharp-sharp and carry oxygen from lungs go all the parts of our body.
For inside red blood cells, e get one thing wey dem dey call haemoglobin. Na this haemoglobin dey carry oxygen for body. You fit think of haemoglobin like small truck wey dey pick oxygen for lungs, then carry am go every part of body.
Wetin Really Happen For Sickle Cell Disease?
For people wey get sickle cell disease, something don happen to the haemoglobin wey dey their red blood cells. Instead make the red blood cells soft and round, dem go come hard and bend like sickle or letter "C". Na one small change for their gene dey cause this wahala, and e dey affect how haemoglobin dey form.
Why This Thing Dey Happen?
Sickle cell disease na something wey person dey inherit from im papa and mama through gene. All of us get two copies of the gene wey control how haemoglobin dey form—one from papa, one from mama. If person get two faulty genes, e go get sickle cell disease. But if na only one gene faulty, the person no go get the disease but e go carry the sickle cell trait, meaning say e fit pass am give im pikin.
Na why couple wey wan marry or people wey dey sleep with each other suppose check and confirm their genotype before dem do anything wey go fit bring pikin come this world. At the bottom of this article, I go write all the safe and unsafe collabos.
Wetin Sickle Cell Dey Cause?
When red blood cells bend like sickle, dem no go fit work well like normal red blood cells. See why:
- Blood Vessel Blockage: Because sickle cells dey hard and sticky, dem fit block small blood vessels. This blockage go stop blood from flowing well, and oxygen no go reach some parts of the body. When oxygen no reach, e fit cause pain wey dem dey call "sickle cell crisis", and if e happen too much, e fit spoil some organs for body.
- Short Life of Red Blood Cells: Normal red blood cells dey live for about 120 days before the body replace dem. But sickle cells no dey last reach that long—na only 10 to 20 days dem dey live. The body no fit make new red blood cells fast enough to replace the ones wey don die, and this one go cause anaemia. Anaemia mean say red blood cells no plenty reach to carry oxygen well, and e go make person feel weak and tired.
How Dem Dey Treat Sickle Cell?
Sickle cell no get one medicine wey fit cure everybody, but e get different ways wey dem fit take manage am. Some of the treatments be:
- Pain medicine: When person dey inside sickle cell crisis, doctor fit give pain medicine to help the pain wey the blockage dey cause.
- Blood transfusion: Sometimes, people wey get SCD need make dem give dem new blood to replace the ones wey sickle don spoil.
- Hydroxyurea: This medicine fit help reduce how many times the sickle cell crisis go happen and how many times the person go need blood transfusion.
- Bone marrow or stem cell transplant: Sometimes, bone marrow transplant fit cure the disease, but e no easy to do and no be everybody fit do am.
How Person Fit Live with Sickle Cell?
If person get good care, dem fit live better life even with sickle cell disease. But the disease no easy, so person need regular checkup, chop good food, drink plenty water, and avoid too much stress to manage the symptoms and stop bigger problems.
Sickle cell disease happen because of small change for gene wey make the red blood cells change shape and no fit work well. This thing dey cause blockage for blood vessels and anaemia. Even though cure no dey for everybody, understanding how the disease take work go help people wey get am manage their symptoms and live better life. Early diagnosis and treatment na the best way to help people wey get sickle cell.
