People living with sickle cell anaemia could live productive lives with minimal morbidity once their health situations were established early enough, a haematologist, Prof. Suleiman Akanmu, said on Thursday.
Akanmu, who is the Head, Haematology and Blood Transfusion Department, Lagos University Teaching Hospital, Idi-Araba, said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria in Lagos.
He said that early diagnosis and management of the condition could increase life expectancy of the sufferers to 60 years or more.
He said: “The under-five death rate among individuals with sickle cell disease is quite high.
“But, if the disease is diagnosed early, usually during the neonatal period, and we begin to manage, the death rate can be brought down and can be as good as the death rate among individuals who do not have such genetic condition.
“Today, we actually have patients with sickle cell disease living up to 60 years.
“The case of an individual that is 72 years old has been presented.
“So, they have the opportunity of living to a full productive adult life with very minimal morbidity conditions.
“That is if we diagnose early and we prevent what we call end-organ damage.
“But, if we do not diagnose early, as it is the case in the past, the death rate is high and if they survive childhood, they have a lot of end-organ diseases.
“There is damage to the kidney, the heart, the liver.
“So, they have a lot of morbid condition that are largely preventable, if diagnosis is made early and preventive measures are taken.”
The Centre for Disease Control and Prevention describes sickle cell disease as the most prevalent genetic disease in the world.
It said: “It is estimated that more than 300,000 babies are born with severe forms of haemoglobinopathies worldwide each year.
“While 75 per cent of all patients with SCD live in Sub-Saharan Africa, Nigeria alone accounts for more than 100,000 new births every year.”
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