World Sickle Cell Awareness Day 2020: What are the prevention tips for sickle cell crisis?

Sickle cell disease is mostly hereditary and is caused when red blood cells are not in their exact shape.When someone has sickle blood cell disease, then some of his red blood cells are curved and they look like a sickle. Hence, these cells cannot move properly,as a result of which, many parts of the body cannot get enough amount of oxygen. They even get stuck in small blood vessels of our chest, belly, joints, etc. Inadequate oxygen in these parts causes intense pain which lasts for several hours or even for a week.

19 June is designated as the World Sickle Cell Awareness Day. Many initiatives are taken to increase awareness amongst people about sickle cell disease. Proper steps can be taken to prevent this disease if people get the correct knowledge about it. So, we have discussed how to prevent sickle cell disease. Read on to know about it.

World Sickle Cell Awareness Day 2020: How to prevent the disease?

Symptoms of Sickle Cell Disease

When someone is having sickle cell crisis, they will experience intense and frequent pain in the following areas:

Belly.

Chest.

Arms and legs.

Lower back.

Hands and feet.

They will also have certain physical problems such as:

Tiredness.

Breathing problem.

Headache.

Dizziness.

Weakness.

Yellowish skin colour.

Reasons of Sickle Cell Crisis

These are the reasons for sickle cell disease, which you can try to control to prevent the crisis. The reasons are as follows:

Alcohol consumption.

Smoking.

Vigorous exercise.

Stress.

Infection.

Sleep problem.

Any medical condition.

Changes in temperature.

Prevention tips for Sickle Cell Disease

You can take these steps to prevent and lower the chances of getting sickle cell disease:

Limit your alcohol consumption.

Try to quit smoking.

Drink at least 9 glasses of water.

Do mild exercises regularly.

Try to be stress-free and positive about yourself.

Observe if you are having sleep or breathing problem in your sleep and talk to your doctor about it.

For other medical conditions, talk to your doctor for taking prevention measures.

Wear warm clothes in cold weather and air-conditioned room.

Don’t take bath in cold water.

If you are pregnant or thinking about conceiving, then ask your doctor and talk to him properly about everything.

Only travel in commercial airplanes.

Avoid being around people who are sick.

Stay up to date with your vaccines.

Wash your hands properly.

Medicines for sickle cell disease

There are some over the counter medicines that you can take to relieve your pain like acetaminophen, aspirin, naproxen sodium, ibuprofen etc. But talk to your doctor before taking these medications for the pain. For moderate to severe pain, doctors may prescribe mild narcotic medicines like codeine.

Other remedies you can take for pain relief

Before taking medicines, you can do these remedies to get some relief from the pain. They are as follows:

Use a heating pad on the affected area.

Take a hot bath.

Give the affected part proper rest.

You can also opt for physical therapy sessions. This will relax and strengthen your muscles and joints to reduce the pain.

When to consult a doctor?

Pain gets severe.

Fever above 101-degree Fahrenheit.

Stiff neck.

Dizziness.

Sudden vision changes.

Slurred speech.

Sudden swelling in the abdomen, hands, feet.

Sickle cell crisis is a common problem. But we don’t need to get tensed about it. Just stay positive and talk to your friends and family about it so that they can also help you out. And always consult your doctor to cure this issue.