Explain the difference between sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease.
The symptoms displayed by the patient are most likely caused by Acute chest syndrome since most of the symptoms seem to affect the regions of the lungs (Little & Henry, 2019). This complication is generally associated with sickle cell anemia. Sickle cells are usually hard, rigid, and sticky. Sickle cells do not have enough hemoglobin, which is a compound that helps transport oxygen throughout the body. These cells also tend to stick together, forming clumps that cause blockages in the lungs’ blood vessels, leading to chest pains. The blockage can sometimes happen in the spleen, causing it to swell up and cause pain within the abdominal region.
The spleen is present in all vertebrates and is located to the left of the stomach and the left side of the abdomen and performs the function of filtering blood to prevent probabilities of infection. Individuals who have sickle cell disease have red blood cells that are usually c-shaped, which differ from the normal disk shape. Other symptoms of this complication include fast breathing, weakness, fever, coughing, and tightness of the chest, which can lead to stroke. Although the disease can be associated with acute splenic sequestration crisis, there is no presence of inflammation, especially on the left side of the abdomen and wheezing. The most common symptom used by physicians to identify aplastic anemia is uncontrolled bleeding. On the other hand, Hemolytic anemia mostly causes skin yellowing, which physicians refer to as jaundice and leg ulcers.
Explain the difference between sickle cell trait and sickle cell disease.
A person with sickle cell trait is not a disease but a sickle globin gene transferred from the parent to the offspring and a normal globin gene from the other parent (Hardas, 2019). The globin gene directs red blood cells to produce hemoglobin. Sickle cell disease is caused by a complication of the genes and is present at birth. The red blood cells in an individual with sickle cell disease are usually hard, sticky, and have a c-shape. The form of these cells makes it difficult for them to carry oxygen throughout the body sufficiently.
Does the trait have one or two genes?
Individuals with the sickle cell trait only possess one copy of the altered hemoglobin gene, while those with sickle cell disease have two copies of the altered gene.
At what percentage of the blood work in sickle cell trait is HgS versus that in Sickle cell diseases
People with the sickle cell trait have one normal hemoglobin cells (HGA) and a sickle hemoglobin gene (HgS), while those with sickle cell disease have the bot gene being sickle cell gene. The percentage of HgS in those with sickle cell trait is 40% of the total bloodwork, while those with sickle cell disease have about 85% of their total bloodwork being HgS.
What else are the other differences
People with sickle cell traits do not display or get any of the symptoms of sickle cell disease and experience a normal life. Individuals with sickle cell disease experience persistent pain and complications that damage the brain, lungs, liver, heart, and kidney.
Identify three priority treatments for this individual. Explain how each treatment impinges on the sickle cell pathology. Explain why the three chosen treatments are a priority.
The patient manifests symptoms of sickle cell disease. Nursing interventions should reduce pain, reduce the risk of stroke, and replenish red blood cells. Pain in patients with this disease is due to blockage of blood. When blood and oxygen fail to get through to body parts, it limits their normal functions. The physician can offer pain-relieving medication like narcotics to help with chronic pain. Patients with sickle cell anemia are prone to getting heart attacks since blood is not transported well enough to get to one area of the brain. The sickle cells can cause blockage since they are hard and stick prone to clumping together in the blood cells. This situation is also responsible for some other severe pain that patients with this condition experience. The sickle cells cause damage to the arteries in the brain and make them narrow. Long-term blood transfusion is one of the main methods that physicians use to treat and reduce the probability of stroke for patients with sickle cell anemia. Hydroxyurea therapy will help make the red blood cell bigger, increasing hemoglobin in the body (Hardas, 2019). The medication will also work to reduce the pain in the patient’s body.
Select one neurological complication the patient may experience and explain the pathogenesis of that neurological complication.
People with sickle cell anemia have a high probability of getting recurrent cerebral infarctions, and the prevalence of attacks keeps increasing with age. The sickle-shaped red blood cells are usually stiff and sticky. The sickle cells will have a hard time moving through blood vessels since they are prone to clumping up. This clumping also blocks other blood cells from naturally flowing. Blood supply to the brain tissue is blocked, causing an insufficient supply of blood to the brain. The cells within the brain begin to deteriorate and die in a couple of minutes. This complication can inevitably cause brain damage.
Select one reproductive complication that can occur in a female and select one reproductive complication that can occur in a male. Explain the pathogenesis of the two complications. Use one complication in male and one is female.
Sickle cell disease causes infertility in men. Men with the disease are prone to getting hypogonadism (Ribeiro et al., 2020). Hypogonadism in men occurs when the sex organs produce little or no sex hormones. The causes of these reproductive complications are not clear to researchers. However, some attribute this to hypothalamic-pituitary-gland disruptions. Women with sickle cell disease experience normal menstruation cycles in their life. However, the pain that accompanies the cycle is severe recurrent pain in these individuals (Ribeiro et al., 2020). Sickle cells are prone to clamping together, and this situation can result in blockages in blood vessels preventing normal blood flow, which results in pain.
References
Hardas, D. M. (2019). Effectiveness of hydroxyurea therapy in sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait. Journal of Medical Science And clinical Research, 7(8). https://doi.org/10.18535/jmscr/v7i8.74
Little, B. P., & Henry, T. S. (2019). Acute respiratory distress syndrome. Chest Imaging, 77-82. https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780199858064.003.0014
Ribeiro, A. P., Silva, C. S., Zambrano, J. C., De Oliveira Freitas Miranda, J., Molina, C. A., Gomes, C. M., De Paula Miranda, E., & De Bessa Júnior, J. (2020). Compensated hypogonadism in men with sickle cell disease. https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.04.21.20074666
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