IMPORTANCE OF NUTRITION IN SICKLE CELL DISEASE

Nutrition! What has food got to do with my red blood cells? I’m sure you’re probably wondering what the big fuss is all about, but nutrition plays a very significant role in our lives. It is important for growth and development and a strong immunity against infections. In patients with Sickle Cell Disease, appetite and immunity are greatly affected which results in poor growth, poor sexual maturation and increased susceptibility to infections. This affects the quality of their lives and will often be sickly if basic proper care is not given.

Therefore dear warrior, keep in mind that you have extra requirements for nutrients such as energy, protein, water, folate & zinc. It is recommended that you take extra vitamins and minerals in order to replenish those being lost or those on higher demand by your body due to the nature of the disease. Extra protein and energy are required to promote growth & maturation especially if you are a child or adolescent with Sickle Cell Disease. Folic acid is needed in extra amounts so that it can aid in the increased production of red blood cells needed to replace the destroyed ones, while zinc is needed to increase oxygen affinity and perform its functions in skeletal & muscle growth and sexual maturation. While these are important we will also discuss other nutrients whose increased intake aid in management of Sickle Cell Disease. These include Vitamin A, Vitamin E and Vitamin C.

Hearty Nutrition for Sickle Cell

Food choices in Sickle Cell Disease have great health benefits to you and even go beyond providing nutrients only –they can affect how frequent your symptoms occur, imagine that! Most foods that have been implicated with triggering crises are animal protein sources due to iron overload and their complexity in digestion. Vegan diets have been associated with less frequent and severe episodes (yes contrast to common thought, being a VEGAN aids in much more than just weight loss). Your dietary intake may be low because of abdominal pain crises caused by some certain foods, but at the same time you need a high caloric intake because of hyper metabolism caused by the constant inflammation. Therefore, it is very essential for a healthy Sickle Cell diet to avoid trigger foods. Your diet should be low in:

• Sodium –a component of salt. If you’re one of those people who grab the salt shaker right away before tasting your food, keep note! Salt leads to dehydration by ‘sucking’ the water out of our body cells leading to painful crises episodes.

• Added sugars –such as those found in sodas, processed juices, sweets & candies cause dehydration in the same way as salt does.

• Solid fats – include saturated fat and trans fatty acids which adversely raise the levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL)/ bad cholesterol and lower the levels of high-density lipoprotein (HDL)/ good cholesterol in the body. They cause abdominal obesity, inflammation and insulin resistance. In the long term, consumption of trans fats raises the risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, depression and many more diseases.

• Refined grains and products –such as white baked foods (bread, cake, mandazi and donuts), white rice and white refined flour are easily digestible & release glucose quickly. This causes a rapid spike in blood sugar, followed by a surge of insulin in the blood, typically followed by reactive hypoglycemia –a low energy feeling caused by over-secretion of insulin. This is why we feel so hungry & weak after eating such foods. Such foods also lack some nutrients present in their counterparts –whole unrefined grains.

Watch Importance of Nutrition Video , a short pictorial on cheap available foods that are easy to source within Kenya

Nutrition is irrefutably very important in managing Sickle Cell Disease. Don’t you agree? And this is just a tiny drop from an ocean of health benefits. Log on to see the nitty gritty details of how each nutrient we have talked about helps in managing Sickle Cell Disease & discover their richest sources. But before you do that remember that power is gained by sharing knowledge, feel free to comment below on how nutrition is so important to you. Until then, eat healthy & stay strong.

Love Life!

Sharlene Mule

WHAT IS SICKLE CELL DISEASE II?

Last week we started our discussions on Sickle Cell Disease. I gave you and introduction on the basics of Sickle Cell Disease. If you missed it, click HERE to read. It is a series of information that will be building up from where we left off last, hence it’s important to start from the beginning.

As many of you know, Sickle Cell Disease is a foreign term in Kenya. Not because we don’t have cases in Kenya but because there is not much awareness of the disease within our country. Awareness plays an importance of ending ignorance on a certain issue. And in this case creating awareness of Sickle Cell Disease ends the ignorance brought about by sheer oblivion of information on this social issue.

What I’m’ trying to say in very many words is this; we will not be able to drive change without identifying the need of that required change. Why do we need change?! And we will not identify the need without creating awareness of the many lives lost to Sickle Cell Disease and not to forget the ones who continue suffering due to lack of information and support systems/policies.

Sickle Cell awareness creation seeks to end the viscous cycle of misinformation and death of a community. This is by the simple fact of providing knowledge to a community to enable you to make informed decisions about yourself, your family and your community.

Last week I mentioned that few people in Kenya know about Sickle Cell and even fewer know about their Sickle Cell status. It is important to know your status as it helps you know whether you carry the Sickle Cell gene.  This will help you be aware of the risk of having children with Sickle Cell Disease.

It is most important so as to be screened to help in diagnosis and confirmation and also to monitor any treatment administered by doctors.

I need to know if I carry the gene. How can I be tested?

A simple blood test called the hemoglobin electrophoresis can be done by your doctor or hospital. This test will tell if you are a carrier of the sickle cell trait or if you have the disease. We certainly don’t like giving you half bake information that may be inaccurate; please exercise patience with us as we conduct our research. Stay tuned for a deeper discussion on where you and your family can get the test done in Kenya and at how much. We are still conducting research on where we can direct people and what are the methods and cost variability between the different health center labs.   We will also give you an overview of methods of evaluating the type and amounts of various normal and abnormal hemoglobin types. This will be discussed in a later post on April 1^st 2015. I promise :)

What will this test likely tell me? Are there different types of sickle cell disease?

This test will let you know of which gene/genes of Sickle Cell you carry. There are three common types of sickle cell disease

·         Hemoglobin SS or sickle cell anemia

·         Hemoglobin SC disease or Sickle Cell Carrier

·         Hemoglobin sickle Beta-Thalassemia

You now know what Sickle Cell Disease. Tell me why  it is so bad; What complications are associated with Sickle Cell Disease

Complications from the Sickle Cells blocking blood flow and early breaking apart may include but not limited to:

·         pain episodes

·         strokes

·         increased infections

·         leg ulcers

·         bone damage

·         yellow eyes or jaundice

·         early gallstones

·         lung blockage

·         kidney damage and loss of body water in urine

·         painful erections in men (priapism)

·         blood blockage in the spleen or liver (sequestration)

·         eye damage

·         low red blood cell counts (anemia)

·         delayed growth

Symptomatic Expressions of Sickle Cell Anaemia

What can be done to help prevent these complications?

Sickle cell patients should be under the care of a medical doctor that understands Sickle Cell Disease. All newborn babies detected with Sickle Cell Disease should be placed on daily penicillin to prevent serious infections. All of the childhood immunizations should be given plus the pneumococcal vaccine. Parents should know how to check for a fever because this signals the need for a quick medical check-up for serious infection. The following are general guidelines to keep the sickle cell patient healthy:

·         Taking the vitamin folic acid (folate) daily to help make new red cells

·         Daily penicillin until age six to prevent serious infection

·         Drinking plenty of water daily (8-10 glasses for adults)

·         Avoiding too hot or too cold temperatures

·         Avoiding over exertion and stress

·         Getting plenty of rest

·         Getting regular check-ups from knowledgeable health care providers

Patients and families should watch for the following conditions that need an urgent medical evaluation:

·         Fever

·         Chest pain

·         Shortness of Breath

·         Increasing tiredness

·         Abdominal swelling

·         Unusual headache

·         Any sudden weakness or loss of feeling

·         Pain that will not go away with home treatment

·         Priapism (painful erection that will not go down)

·         Sudden vision change

Well, there you go. I trust this explanation gives you a bit of introspect on what Sickle Cell Disease is how it manifests in the body’s of the Sickle Cell Warriors. Do you know anyone who has Sickle Cell Disease? Kindly comment below and tell us if this article has helped you to understand what they go through.

Are you a sickle cell warrior? Let us know what new thing you've learnt today about Sickle Cell.  Leave us a comment or a question that you may want us to cover on this series.

Stay tuned for the next exiting posts that will look into the origins of Sickle Cell. Find out the oldest record of Sickle Cell known to man. Until then  

Love Life!

Lea