sickle cell anaemia Flashcards
What is sickle cell anaemia?
sickle cell anaemia is an inherited red blood cell disorder in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout your body- this has an impact on a persons daily health
Physical effects of sickle cell anaemia
One way it affects the person physically is that it causes a chronic under-supply of red blood cells. This makes the sickle cell patient anaemic. Therefore, they become tired and fatigue, this will lead to a lack of or poor energy levels and the patient may develop further health complications.
Secondly, a further physical impact of Sickle cell anaemia is that it sometimes causes attacks of pain to the chest, stomach, back, jaw, legs and arms. This on-going pain will impact the persons mobility in
daily life. This may become a further issue when sleeping at night. Their pain may keep them awake and this could lead to exhaustion.
Social impact of sickle cell anaemia
In addition, people with Sickle Cell may not go out to socialise with others and have a limited social circle due to a lack of confidence.Therefore, they will have a low self-esteem and become anxious and
feel that they cannot cope with their illness.
Finally, sickle cell may impact a person’s relationships negatively. For example, their on-going pain and they may have to attend regular hospital appointments. They may also feel like they are a burden to others. This can cause an individual to withdraw therefore leading to
a breakdown in relationships.
Intellectual effects of sickle cell anaemia
If a stroke hasn’t occurred
- pain can affect learning
*absenteeism from school impacting education
If stroke has occurred
* speech difficulty
* following directions
*formulating sentences
