this week. Most wood is National Sickle Cell Awareness Month. An estimated 1,300 people in Wisconsin have sickle cell disease, 85% of whom live in the Milwaukee area. Doctor. TONY BENN ZEFF is a hematologist who runs the sickle cell disease program at his UW HEALTH. In Milwaukee County he’s 85%. that’s a big number. Why are there so many in the Milwaukee area alone? Thanks for having me. Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that primarily affects people of African descent. Thus, we find that sickle cell disease predominates in places with large African-American populations. In Wisconsin, an estimated 92% of his sickle cell patients are black, a minority of whom may be Hispanic or of other ethnicities. What does it look like for someone with sickle cell disease? What does it feel like for them? So it’s a genetic disease that people acquire, one from each parent he gets an abnormal gene that causes certain problems in the red blood cells, causing them to deform and break down. . It leads to blockage of blood vessels, causing severe pain, decreased hemoglobin called anemia, and chronic organ damage. So people go about their daily lives in the same way as they do with pain. It’s very unpredictable. And in the long term, organs such as the heart, lungs, and brain can be at risk for several complications. And there are a lot of unpredictability for those who live with it. surround their lives. And that’s the biggest challenge for patients living with this disease, who have to go through many doctor’s appointments and many treatments to deal with all the complications. For people, their friends, their families and loved ones, what can they do to support those battling sickle cell disease? I think that’s why. Because most importantly for friends and family, you never know when a loved one is in danger of needing to go. hospital. These hospitalizations are really scary. So I think Raging Edge is the only one to treat sickle cell disease and make sure they have a good center established where they can put specialists there. We’re making sure it’s passing and identifying early signs of complications. , if you have to be careful with them, I recommend staying hydrated. crisis. Make sure it’s happening, really educate, you know each other and insist on being there for your loved ones and making sure people can go for blood transfusions. For patients with sickle cell disease to live healthier lives, donors need more donations from this population in order to obtain life-saving, perfectly matched blood. I think these are the key points. And the more we know about this disease, the more people we can help. Yes, doctor. NGOZI, thank you very much for your TI

UW Health: Recognizing Sickle Cell Disease

An estimated 1,300 people in Wisconsin have sickle cell disease

Updated: Sep 18, 2022 17:45 CDT