CASE STUDY-SICKLE CELL ANEMIA DISEASE

James O.W

11 Einstein

Biology Case study

Case:

“On the morning of admission, our patient, a 19-year-old African-American man felt himself to be in his usual state of health.. He ate breakfast and spent the day watching television. However, at approximately 5:45 p.m. when he used the bathroom, he noticed that he could not pull up his trousers due to weakness in his left arm. As he walked out of the bathroom, he noted that he was having difficulty walking because of pain in his feet and indication of consciousness loss. These events transpired rapidly, within about six minutes, at which point his family called Emergency Medical Services (EMS) and our patient was transported to our hospital”

Case Presentation:

After a thorough observation on the condition and symptoms shown, i can conclude that the 19 year old man have a sickle cell anemia disease. Which explain the loss of strength of his left arm and feet with the loss of  consciousness. Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease of the red blood cells (RBC). The disease is caused by a mutation in gene, where the gene naturally helps make hemoglobin:

Hemoglobin is a protein that is contained within the RBC. Hemoglobin is the part of RBC that carries oxygen to and carbon dioxide away from the body cells. Hemoglobin are made up of four polypeptide chains. so it has quaternary structure. Each chain itself are known as goblin. in those four polypeptide chains it is made up of two alpha chains and two beta sheet. in their natural shape, RBC are round with narrow centers resembling a donut but without a hole in the middle shape. this gives normal hemoglobin flexibility to travel through even the smallest blood vessels, however, with people that have sickle cell anemia; just like the 19 year old man above; the RBC have an abnormal crescent shape. This makes them sticky and inflexible.

with the change of shape and formation, those abnormal crescent shapes RBC get trapped in small vessels and block blood from reaching different part of the body. this cause pain and tissue damage that will result in the body to lack of oxygen needed. That explain why the 19-year-old man loses strength of his arm and feet and even starting to lose consciousness. That is because the oxygen needed by the arm and feet did not reach them, since the oxygen from the RBC got stuck in small vessels when they are still on the way. And the extreme and dramatic loss of oxygen needed can lead to loss of consciousness , because our brain did not receive the oxygen it needed.

In order to cure sickle cell anemia of the 19-year-old man, it is suggested for him to take certain action to cure his disease, such as:

• taking Antibiotic to fight certain infections.
• Taking Hydroxyurea (Droxia, Hydrea).When taken daily, hydroxyurea reduces the frequency of painful crises and may reduce the need for blood transfusions.Hydroxyurea was initially used just for adults with severe sickle cell anemia. Studies on children have shown that the drug may prevent some of the serious complications associated with sickle cell anemia.
• having  blood transfusions. Blood transfusions increase the number of normal red blood cells in circulation, helping to relieve anemia
• taking pain relieving medications. To relieve pain during a sickle crisis, your doctor may advise over-the-counter pain relievers and application of heat to the affected area.

or by taking experimental treatment such as:

• Gene therapy. Because sickle cell anemia is caused by a defective gene, researchers are exploring whether inserting a normal gene into the bone marrow of people with sickle cell anemia will result in the production of normal hemoglobin.
• Nitric oxide. People with sickle cell anemia have low levels of nitric oxide in their blood. Nitric oxide is a gas that helps keep blood vessels open and reduces the stickiness of red blood cells. Treatment with nitric oxide may prevent sickle cells from clumping together. Studies on nitric oxide have had mixed results so far.
• Drugs to boost fetal hemoglobin production. Researchers are studying various drugs to devise a way to boost the production of fetal hemoglobin. This is a type of hemoglobin that stops sickle cells from forming.
• Statins. These medications, which are normally used to lower cholesterol, may also help reduce inflammation. In sickle cell anemia, statins may help blood flow better through blood vessels.