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Dr. Ashay H. Nandeshwar
M. D., (Ayu)(Mumbai)
(Podar Govt. Medical College)
P.G.D.M.L.T., L.Lb. (Sch)
Lecturer V.P.A.M.C.
Sangli |
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| Chapter 1: Introduction |
| 1.1 Research Question: |
| Can Ayurvedic medicines cure Sickle-Cell Disease? If it does, then to what extent and at what rate they cure the disease? |
| 1.2 What is Sickle Cell Disease? |
Sickle-Cell Disease (SCD), or sickle-cell anaemia (SCA) or drepanocytosis is one of the most life-threatening diseases ever discovered. The disease not only disturbs the life of the patients but also his family. As there has been no definite treatment or cure for the disease till date, the patients are very frequently admitted in hospitals and have to undergo unbearable pain. Some forms of Sickle-Cell Disease tell us that it is even more fatal than Cancer and AIDS. In spite of being a very deadly and widespread disorder in many parts of the country, Government of India has not taken any serious steps regarding eliminating or researching on the treatment and cure of SCD. This collection of clinical findings was unknown until the explanation of sickle cells was given by Chicago cardiologist and professor of medicine James B. Herrick. The disease was named “sickle-cell anaemia” by Vernon Mason in 1922.
Sickle cell disease has struck millions of people across the globe and is predominantly widespread among those whose ancestors are from sub-Saharan Africa, Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, the Caribbean, and Central America), Saudi Arabia, India, and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy. It affects an estimated 70,000 to 100,000 Americans. The disease occurs in about 1 out of every 500 African Americans births, and about 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic Americans births. The trait of SCD occurs in about 1 in 12 African Americans. Sickle cell disease is a major public health concern. From 1989 through 1993, there was an average of 75,000 hospitalizations due to sickle cell disease in the United States, costing approximately $475 million. During 2005, medical expenditures, in the US, for children with sickle cell disease averaged $11,702 for children with Medicaid coverage and $14,772 for children with employer-sponsored insurance. Sickle cell-related death among African-American children less than 4 years of age fell by 42% during 1999 to 2002. This coincides with the introduction of a vaccine that protected against invasive pneumococcal disease in 2000. The disease can be found in people living in parts of the world where malaria is or was common. It is believed that people who carry the sickle cell trait are less likely to catch malaria.
Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited form of anaemia — a condition in which there aren't enough fit red blood cells to carry sufficient oxygen throughout the body. In normal condition, the red blood cells have biconcave shape and are flexible. They can move easily through the blood vessels. Whereas, in sickle cell anaemia and other forms of SCD, the red blood cells become rigid, sticky and are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These irregularly shaped cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body. There's no cure for most people with sickle cell anaemia. However, treatments can relieve pain and help prevent further problems associated with sickle cell anaemia. |
| Theoretical Basis: |
Sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disorder which is inherited from parents to the offspring. It has been known to be caused by mutations in the DNA of the RBCs. Mutation is any event that changes genetic structure; any alteration in the inherited nucleic acid sequence of the genotype of an organism.
A mutation can just involve one nucleotide or it can even have an effect on a huge segment of the gene. It is often thought that a mutation which involves a smaller number of nitrogenous bases in the DNA will be less significant than one where a larger number of bases are changed. In the gene that controls sickle-cell anaemia a alteration of just one base lead to a protein with one amino acid distorted and the resulting disease. Haemoglobin is made of four polypeptide chains: two alpha chains and two beta chains. When an A to T base substitution occurs in the region of the gene coding for the 6th amino acid in the beta chain, the codon GAG (glutamic acid) becomes GTG (valine). |
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