Sickle Cell Anemia Diagnosed
Although you might have experienced sickle cell anemia signs and symptoms, you can never confirm such disease until official diagnosis. Consequently, there are many different means to diagnose the disease such as blood testing. As a matter of fact, diagnosis is critical at the onset of the disease. Most likely, this sort of blood disorder can be diagnosed from infancy. Newborn screening, in particular, can help identify the disease along with many other inborn abnormalities.
No more worries though, sickle cell anemia is absolutely manageable. The disease, brought about by abnormal red blood cells, can be controlled through regular medication. That explains why most disease carriers can live over 50 years compared to 10-20 years of expected length of survival. Bone marrow transplant can further extend life expectancy of patients, though. Unfortunately, the treatment is only available to patients with compatible bone marrow donor. Otherwise the medical procedure shall not push through.
Tags: sickle, sickle cell, sickle cell anemia