September is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. An estimated 100,000 Americans and millions worldwide are coping with this condition. Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited blood disorders. When a person is diagnosed with this condition, their red blood cell supply starts to run low. A shortage of red blood cells can cause fatigue or anemia. A lot of advancements in sickle cell disease treatments have occurred over the years. Let’s examine the current treatment options available for sickle cell disease.
How is Sickle Cell Disease Treated?
There are various treatments for sickle cell disease. One treatment that could work for one patient may not work for another person. Some doctors recommend pain and symptom management for patients with the illness. Disease-modifying medications have also been found to be effective for some patients. There have been some patients who have opted for other procedures such as stem cell transplant, gene therapies, and gene editing therapies. Some doctors also consider utilizing treatments for reducing complications associated with sickle cell anemia.
Medications Used to Treat Sickle Cell Disease
Some of the most common medications have been proven to be effective in avoiding pain episodes, relieving symptoms, and preventing complications. For some young patients, a stem cell transplant might cure the condition. However, here are some of the most common treatments of sickle cell anemia today.
Hydroxyurea
This oral medicine has been proven to be effective in preventing serious symptoms of sickle cell anemia, including pain crises and acute chest syndrome. Hydroxyurea has been effective in improving anemia and reducing the need for blood transfusions in patients. However, this drug can increase the risk of infections, and women who are pregnant shouldn’t take it.
L-Glutamine
Another current treatment for sickle cell disease is L-Glutamine. This medication is another one for reducing pain crises and lowering the risk of acute chest syndrome. It is approved for people ages 5 years and older. L-Glutamine comes in a powder that you can mix in a drink or foods like applesauce. However, the side effects of the medication include nausea, fatigue, and chest pain.
Other Disease-Modifying Treatments
In addition to those common treatments, there are also other disease-modifying treatments that doctors may consider for you. There are also other therapies such as gene editing therapy and stem cell gene addition therapy. For mild to moderate pain, over-the-counter pain medications could help. There’s another medicine that has been approved for adults and children 16 years of age and older called Crizanlizumab-tmca. This medication could be given through an intravenous line in the vein and can reduce the frequency of pain crises.
Are There Alternative Bloodless Transfusions for Sickle Cell Patients?
Another common way doctors treat sickle cell anemia is through blood transfusions. However, most patients are not able to receive blood transfusions. While there is no direct bloodless substitute for treating this disease, the above disease-modifying treatments, including Hydroxyurea, are said to be effective at reducing or eliminating the need for the patient to get one. Other alternatives medical professionals recommend are bone marrow transplants and stem cell transplants for patients to become cured of this condition. These medical procedures reprogram how the patient’s body creates new red blood cells.
Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Sickle Cell Treatment
If you’re a patient coping with sickle cell anemia, it’s important you come with good questions about what treatments are best for you. It’s vital to create a good list of potential things you want to inquire about. Besides questions about the best treatments available, it’s also important to ask specific questions about your condition. Here are a few good examples of questions you can ask:
- Could a disease-modifying medication help?
- What treatments are appropriate for me?
- What type of sickle cell disease do I have?
- How can I reduce my risk of pain crises?
- What screenings do I need regularly?
- What side effects should I watch out for?
- When should I go to the emergency room?
There are many treatments for sickle cell anemia that focus on reducing pain, preventing any complications, and improving the overall quality of life for patients. Sickle cell treatment has advanced so significantly over the years, giving so much hope for a lot of patients. If you’re a person coping with sickle cell anemia, be sure to work with a hematologist or sickle cell disease specialist to determine the appropriate options for your specific condition, symptoms, and treatment goals.
Are you a person coping with sickle cell anemia? Have you been in touch with your medical team on the most current and best treatments for your condition? Feel free to share your experiences with this condition in the comments section below. As always, be sure to like or share this post with the next person you know and love coping with this condition.
