By Conrad Mwanawashe
MOLYN Chima, 37, spends about US$60 on painkillers and other sedatives each month, to manage sickle cells anaemia, described by the World Health Organisation (WHO) as one of the most dangerous inherited conditions in the world leading to the death of children with the most severe form before the age of 5.
WHO estimates that more than 100 000 sickle cell patients are born every year with 75% of these children dying before the age of five (5) due to sickle cell complications while 75% of sickle cell patients are in Africa.
Of major concern is that in Zimbabwe, sickle cell studies have not been done yet.
“Growing up I was the only sickle cell patient in Zimbabwe I knew. While I was doing my attachment at Mpilo Hospital in Bulawayo, I got into a sickle cell crisis. I went to see a doctor who told me that it was not possible for me to have sickle cell disease at that age. He said that most people who get the disease do not leave up to my age.
“There is a lack of both facilities and knowledge, even among practitioners on identification and care for sickle cell anaemia patients. This means that in many cases, the condition goes undetected,” said Chima.
Chima, Founder of the Sickle Cell Anaemia Trust of Zimbabwe (SCATZ), was speaking to journalists in Chinhoyi during a National AIDS Council (NAC)-organised workshop last week.
“Though sickle cell is documented as rare globally, it is a complex and permanent condition that is genetically inherited and whose life-threatening effects can only be managed through early correct diagnosis and specialised care thereafter.
“After realizing the large numbers of sickle cell patients reporting to hospitals in Mashonaland Central province and Mutoko, SCATZ partnered with local laboratories and have been doing free sickle cell screening for every child that enters Bindura Hospital.
“The results so far indicate that two (2) out of every five (5) children test positive for sickle cell anaemia. This has caused us to believe that at least 10% of the Zimbabwean population is living with sickle cell anaemia,” said Chima.
Sickle cell disease (SCD), or sickle cell anaemia, is a major genetic disease that affects most countries in the African Region. In sickle cell disease, the normal round shape of red blood cells become like crescent moons. Round red blood cells can move easily through the blood vessels but sickled shaped cells interconnect and can result in blood clots.
These blood clots can cause extreme pain in the back, chest, hands and feet. The disrupted blood flow can also cause damage to bones, muscles and organs. People with sickle cell disease often feel weak, tired and look pale. The whites of the eyes and skin often have a yellowish tint.
“Normal red blood cells have a lifespan of up to 120 days but sickle cells have a life span of between 10-12 days, meaning that every 10-12 days my red blood cells are being broken down and my bone marrow is under pressure to manufacture more red blood cells.
“The sickle cells are rigid in shape. While travelling through minute blood vessels the normal red blood cell has the advantage of changing shape and maneuvering through the veins so that it can do what it is supposed to do. But my cells cannot change shape when they reach those minute blood vessels causing partial or total blockage of the blood vessel.
“This means that there are areas that will not be receiving blood since the blood vessel has been blocked and this causes extreme pain. This can happen anywhere, in the head, eyes, chest, back, kidneys or any part of the body,” said Chima.
Environmental factors often play a role in the occurrence of painful attacks. Common triggers include cold temperatures, dehydration, excessive amounts of exercise and tobacco smoke. Other triggers such as plane flights and high altitudes can also trigger an attack.
Chima said her organisation, SCATZ, seeks to raise public awareness, improve wealth of knowledge among key stakeholders, and advocate for provision of quality care for sickle cell patients in Zimbabwe.
SCATZ has since opened the first Sickle Cell Clinic in Bindura, within the Bindura Provincial Hospital, to offer screening, information and provide medication and after-care support.
