Stroke Treatment For Children With Sickle Cell Disease

Stroke treatment for children with sickle cell disease is different with children or adults who suffered stroke

. Besides being generally more costly, treatment is more complicated and requires intensive monitoring as there are two illnesses being addressed: stroke deficits and sickle disease.

Sickle disease is a common hemoglobin disorder wherein the red blood cells are distorted in shape and commonly look like a crescent moon under a microscope. In most cases, the red blood cell is stretched with pointed edges instead of being circular in shape.

Statistics show that this disease is more prevalent in male children with African and Hispanic descent, among which 10% suffer stroke, and another percentile of which have repeated strokes. Children with sickle disease are prone to many infections since their system are naturally incapable of removing bacteria. Thus, just imagine how intensive care for children with sickle disease will be if they suffer stroke.

Treatment for children who suffer stroke and have sickle disease should be given without any haste. The first line of treatment for children with sickle disease who suffer stroke is blood transfusion. Though not entirely a side-effect-free treatment, blood transfusions help in diluting the sickle cells from the child's body and introduce new cells into his system. This is done on a monthly basis until the life of the child to avoid secondary stroke.

In addition, children victims of stroke with sickle disease undergo hourly medications that include penicillin and vaccines that cost around $220 per bottle to address the severity of infections for the first five years of a child's life. This does not include anti-inflammatory drugs that relieve the intensity of pain bought by sickle disease and the stroke itself.

Constant medical check-up is needed to avoid infections on the onset, evaluations on the effects of medications to the state of the child, and medical examinations like Transcranial Doppler (TCD) to check the child's brain and eye examination and annual sickle disease screening.

Bone marrow transplant is one approach to treating sickle cell disease but is a very risky and complex procedure that not all people with sickle cell disease can actually avail it. It is a trial and error process even though proper matching of stem cells of both donor and patient is achieved as chances of rejection of the transplanted marrow can still occur.

This does not include treatments for stroke. Children with sickle cell disease suffer motor disability and neuropsychological impairment after a stroke. TCD actually helps avoid the occurrence of secondary stroke in children with sickle cell disease.

Therapy involves regaining independence to move through the help of Physical Therapists (PTs) and to cope with the deficits of stroke through Occupational Therapists. The basics still applies, though, when it comes to getting the right nutrition and exercise.

Stroke treatment for children with sickle disease is a very complex matter that requires strict coordination with medical professionals to ensure long life and avoid repeated strokes.

by: Cheow Yu Yuan

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