Lifespan Growth and Development: Sickle Cell Anemia - Coursework Example

Running Head:   LIFESPAN GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT Topic: Sickle Cell Anemia Lecturer: Presentation: In part thispaper describes sickle cell anemia that is a condition whereby abnormal red blood cells are formed. The sickle cells are sticky and do not move freely in the blood vessels thereby causing obstruction of blood flow. The paper highlights the onset of the condition as well as the contributing factors which include; the male/female ratio, ethnic ratio, age ratio. It also describes how the condition affects the development of an individual cognitively/intellectually, emotionally and socially, as well as treatments available. Part 2 utilizes the researched information, creative skills, and critical thinking skills, the paper presents a typical day in the life of an individual 12 years of age who has been diagnosed with sickle cell condition. It highlights the physical, cognitive/intellectual, emotional, and social aspects of the individual’s behavior. It also presents an analysis of how the individual’s typical day would change if a cure were to be found for the condition. Part 1 Sickle cell anemia is a prevalent type of sickle cell syndrome that is results in to the formation of red blood cells that are crescent shaped. This is a deviation from the normal red blood cells that are usually disc like and lacking holes in the center. The problem is caused by the presence of abnormal hemoglobin leading to the development of hemispherical shape. The deformed red blood cells are rigid and sticky compared to the normal disc shaped red blood cells that move simply through the blood vessels. Sickle cells therefore obstruct blood flow through the blood vessels in the body, which in turn causes damage and pain to organs (Scheinin & Wetli, 2009). The lifespan of normal red blood cells in the blood stream is 120 days after which they die, while sickle cells last between 10 and 20 days. This rate of dying outdoes the rate of new red blood cells’ formation in the bone marrow and hence there lacks replacement. Oxygen supply and elimination of carbon dioxide from the body is therefore hampered and hence the body is exposed to the risk of infections. The condition varies among different people. Some patients have to live with chronic hurting while others experience regular fatigue (Bogg & Roberts 2009). The onset of sickle cell anemia is attributed to two genes of sickle hemoglobin that are inherited from both parents, each contributing one gene. This means the sickle cell patients are born with the disease. In some cases, a gene from one parent may be normal while the other is sickle hemoglobin gene. The offspring in such a case is said to have a sickle cell trait. Individuals with sickle cell trait have normal blood cells and therefore are not affected by the condition. However, the sickle hemoglobin gene can be passed to the offspring of people with sickle cell trait similar to inheritance from parents who suffer from the disease (Scheinin & Wetli, 2009). Thalassemia trait is a genetic condition that influences the development of sickle cell anemia. It occurs when an individual has one thalassemia and one normal gene. A child has 25% chance of inheriting a sickle cell gene if one parent has a sickle cell trait while the other has a thalassemia trait. Apart from genetic factors, the condition is most common among African Americans, Africans, Mediterranean region and the Caribbean (Bouchard, 2008). According to Lee et al. (2012), 0.2% of black or African American and 0.003% of Hispanic Americans children are born with sickle cell disease while the sickle cell trait occurs in 8% of black and African American populations. The disease manifests a relatively high male to female ratio of 1.2:1, meaning that for every 100 patients, 56% are likely to be male while 44% will be female. The disease is mainly found among children below 15 years at 65%. Relatively high mortality of 5.4% was recorded among children aged 5-19 years. Sickle cell anemia increases an individual’s vulnerability to infections with the highest propensity to disease before 3 years of age. The infections are usually overwhelming especially by capsulated bacteria. The disease may cause delayed puberty which I turn affects an individual’s psychosocial development. The direct effects of the disease on the brain functions may affect cognitive development while indirect influences may be associated with chronic illness and pain. According to Lee et al. (2012), there is no known cure for sickle cell anemia but emphasis should be focused on management of patients. They need to be assessed regularly by specialists to determine their growth, cognitive development and organ functions to ensure concerted efforts in management of the condition before organ failure occurs. Education to the infected patients and affected families is important to promote healthy living and avoidance of risky lifestyles such as smoking. Part 2 In a typical day, the 12 year old patient wakes up later than his peers. He wakes up exhausted quite often and it takes time to catch up with the others in accomplishing routine tasks. He needs extra care over his age mates as his health needs to be monitored throughout. He may experience episodic pain that lasts from 1 hour and may extend for 3 days. The pain causes significant stress as the minor can not participate effectively in a normal day’s activities like his peers during such episodes. This causes regular absence from class and hence a decline in performance. The patient suffers from stress due to his shortfall in education and often keeps to himself. Sometimes he expresses self hate, questioning why everyone else is healthy while he has to cope with the regular bouts of pain throughout his life. Moreover, he came from a poor family background that made it more difficult to deal with the situation since access to basic healthcare is a problem. The boy is physically weak and can not engage in vigorous exercises that are performed by normal children. It takes concerted efforts by the school administration to offer counseling and moral support since the child’s parents are partly unaware of the level of attention needed to manage the boy’s condition. Apart from the pain, the patient experiences harmful infections including influenza and brain infections. These affect his cognitive development as demonstrated by his general perception of his living environment. His IQ seems relatively lower than that of younger boys. While his age mates demonstrate high literacy skills, the patient can not read coherently or understand concepts with ease. He also develops hand and foot syndrome often that is characterized by the swelling of the limbs. This could be attributed to failure of blood flow as sickle cells obstruct the vessels. The boy walks slowly and may not stand for long due to exhaustion. One of the patient’s eyes is damaged as a result of the sickle cells preventing blood flow in the eye causing poor visual acuity. He therefore strains his eyes to read the writings of the teacher on the wall. Social segregation causes the patient a lot of trauma as peers view the patient’s condition as life threatening. They do not understand how the disease is transmitted and hence the general assumption that any contact with the patient needs to be avoided. The trauma leads to poor development of social skills. The patient does not think that he can do anything worth appreciation by others and at one time cried when his teacher commended him for improving his grades. His parents view the condition as a burden makes the daily struggles of the patient harder than if he was accepted by the society as a person who needs support. Feeding for the boy is a problem as he often lacks appetite and does not communicate effectively for others to understand his needs. If a cure for the condition would be found, the boy’s typical day would significantly change. The regular bouts of pain would be relieved and he would be able to participate in class work according to the school’s schedule. Moreover, infections would be eliminated and prevented from recurring. Absence of infections can enhance cognitive ability thereby improving the learning progress in the boy. Elimination infections would help to get rid of social stigma that is a major hindrance to psychosocial development. The patient would gain appetite and increase the intake of important nutrients needed for physical and cognitive development. The patient would also receive food supplements such as folic acid, vitamin D as well as zinc to enhance growth. Immunization against prevalent diseases such as pneumonia, influenza, hepatitis A and B and meningitis would also be considered. Dehydration may not be allowed at any time in the patient. References Bogg T, & Roberts B. W. (2009), Conscientiousness and health-related behaviors: A meta-analysis of the leading behavioral contributors to mortality. Psychological Bulletin.  130(2), 887–919. Bouchard, T. J. (2008). Genetic Influence on Human Psychological Traits. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 13(4), 148-151. Lee, K. Buse, K & Fustukian, S. (2002). Health Promotion in a Globalising World, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Scheinin, L. & Wetli C. (2009), Sudden death and sickle cell trait: medicolegal considerations and implications. American Journal of Forensic Med Pathol. 30(2), 204-8. Read More