The Global Health Crisis Of Sickle Cell Disease And The Impact Of Stem Cell Therapy As A Viable Treatment

S ickle cell disease is an inherited hematological disorder where the presence of this gene can impact the function of hemoglobin, causing it to polymerize and form the abnormal sickle red blood cells. Vascular occlusion is usually associated with this disease, as the abnormal shaped red blood cells are unable to move throughout microvasculature of the body and get trapped in vessels, causing a pain episode for patients which is referred to as being one of the most prominent and agonizing symptoms of the disease. Throughout the investigation of various forms of treatment for this disease, specific methods stand out from others with successful implementation or promising ongoing results. Hydroxyurea stands out among these various forms as a frontrunner as it has been investigated in low-resource countries such as Uganda and highlights several factors that make it low-cost and easily distributable. Stem cell therapy and CRISPR-gene editing technology are also promising forms of treatment, although individuals result in different phenotypic expressions. Both parents need to carry the gene in order for the disease to be inherited. Homozygous individuals develop sickle cell anemia, while heterozygous individuals are proven beneficial against fighting malaria [6]. High prevalence of sickle cell anemia is seen with the heterozygous genetic makeup in areas where levels of malaria are high [6]. High incidence areas are due to the lack of awareness among both local and public health policy makers [7]. Sickle cell disease targets certain ethnic groups including Hispanic americans from central and south America, people of middle eastern, Asian, Indian, and Mediterranean descent, and most seen in people of African descent and the sub-Saharan Africa region [4].