Psychology Impact of Living With Sickle Cell Anaemia
CHAPTER ONE
Objective of the study
The aim of this research among others would be;
- To find out if there is psychological assault in Babcock University.
- To know the cause of psychological assault on people suffering from Sickle cell Anaemia Babcock University.
- To find out possible ways to reduce or eradicate the psychological assault on people suffering from Sickle Cell Anaemia in Babcock University.
CHAPTER TWO
LITERATURE REVIEW
Concept of Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) also known as Sickle Cell Anaemia (SCA) and Drepanocytosis is a hereditary blood disorder, characterized by an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying haemoglobin molecule in red blood cells. This leads to a propensity for the cells to assume an abnormal rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. Sickle cell disease occurs when a person inherits two abnormal copies of the haemoglobin gene, one from each parent. Seceral subtypes exist, depending on the exact mutation in each haemoglobin gene. Sickle cell is associated with a number of acute and chronic health problems, such as severe infraction, attacks of severe pain (Sickle Cell crisis) and stroke, and there is an increased risk of death. (Global Burden of Disease Study, 2013; Yawn et al, 2014).
According to National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI, 2013), Sickle Cell Anaemia is a blood disorder that causes abnormally shaped red blood cells. Normal blood cells are disk- shaped with an indentation in the centre, and they move smoothly through the blood vessels.
But with sickle anaemia, the body produces red blood cells that are shaped like a sickle, or crescent. These cells don’t move through the blood stream as easily and they tend to stick and clump together and cause other health complication. Sickle cell anaemia is just one of many forms of sickle cell disease. It is a condition that is passed along from parents to their children. This disease is more common in people of certain ethnicities, including blacks and Hospanics. In the same vein, Clinical Research on Sickle Cell Disease (CRSCD, 2014) stated that sickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder which is caused by a mutation in the haemoglobin-beta gene found on chromosome II. Haemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs to other parts of the body. Red blood cells with normal haemoglobin (hemoglobin A) are smooth and round and glide through blood vessels. In people with sickle cell disease, abnormal haemoglobin molecules – haemoglobin S – stick to one another and form long, rod-like structures. These structures caused red blood cell to become stiff, assuming a sickle-shape. Their shape causes these red blood cells to pile up, causing blockages and damaging vital organs and tissue.
Also, Welkom (2012) and Yanni et al., (2009), viewed Sickle Cell Disease as one of the most common childhood onset, single – gene disorders, affecting primarily people of African descent. The sickle cell gene causes an abnormality in the iron-rich protein haemoglobin that is responsible for carrying oxygen through the blood and giving blood its red colour. The abnormal haemoglobin causes cells to become “Sickle Shaped” resulting in irregular blood flow (National Heart Lung Blood Institute (NHLBI), 2010). The red blood cell can stick and block the flow of blood to the limbs and organs resulting in pain, organ damage and a low blood count. For one to inherit the disease, two copies of the sickle cell gene (i.e. one from each parent) must be transmitted to the offspring. Thus, children whose parents each carry the trait will have a 25% chance of inheriting the disease. In other words, Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) include a variety of pathological conditions resulting from the inheritance of the sickle haemoglobin (HBs) gene either homozygously or as a compound heterozygote with other interacting abnormal haemoglobin gene. The disease is clinically one of the most important haemoglobin opaties (Monika, 2008).
The most important protein of Red Blood Cells (RBCs) is haemoglobin which consists of four globin chains, each folded around a haem molecule. Haemoglobin delivers oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and carbon dioxide from the tissues to the lungs. The predominant haemoglobin in adulthood is HB A which consists of two Alpha and two Beta globin chains. Other haemoglobins are HbA2 and HbF. During itner-uterine development, several globin chains are synthesized with the predominant haemoglobin type during foetal life being Hb F in the first twelve (12) weeks after birth, the Hb F quickly declines, leaving HbA and Hb 2A as the remaining haemoglobins. The Beta globin gene is found in chromosome II.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Introduction
In this chapter, we would describe how the study was carried out.
Research design
This study design is a descriptive one. This design was adopted since the researcher did not manipulate any of the variable but variables were described as occurred in the study.
Sources of Data
The data for this study were generated from two main sources; Primary sources and secondary sources. The primary sources include questionnaire, interviews and observation. The secondary sources include journals, bulletins, textbooks and the internet.
CHAPTER FOUR
RESULT AND ANALYSIS
This section covered the presentation of data, answering of research questions, testing of hypotheses and discussion of findings. It was in this section the variables of interest were analyses for good inferences upon which valid decisions were made for good recommendations.
CHAPTER FIVE
SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS
SUMMARY
The study investigated the perceived psychosocial impact and coping strategies among people living with sickle cell disease in Babcock University, Illishan Remo, Ogun State, Nigeria. Sickle Cell Disorder has been defined as an inherited birth disorder from parents to the child, it arises when a baby inherits the gene for sickle haemoglobin (HBs) or a hereditary blood disorder, characterized by an abnormality in the oxygen-carry haemoglobin molecule in red blood cells that leads to a propensity for the cells to assume an abnormal, rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. The study explores the psychosocial impact of sickle cell disease (SCD) and the coping strategies of people living with sickle cell disease (SCD) in Babcock University, Illishan Remo, Ogun State.
CONCLUSION
It was discovered that majority of the respondents know and identified what sickle cell disease mean and that the mode of getting sickle cell disease is when a person inherits two abnormal copies of the haemoglobin gene.
That sickle cell disease affects all age groups and both sexes and that a person with a single abnormal copy does not experience symptoms and is said to have sickle cell trait.
This study has demonstrated that the psychosocial impact of SCD has high negative impact on persons living with sickle cell disease, their guardian and parents with stress of lack of fiancé to support their wards or children living with sickle cell diseases. It has provided an analysis of the perception and predisposing factors leading to the incidence of sickle cell disease among people. The lack of awareness, high level of illiteracy in Nigeria has led to the rising increase of SCD. This has made the incidence of sickle cell disease in Nigeria high.
In view of the result of this study, the researcher can infer that sickle cell disease (SCD) is an important but largely neglected risk to child survival in most African countries of which Nigeria is inclusive hence greater attention to reducing mortality from sickle cell disease could help some Africa Governments to achieve their targets with regard to Millennium Development Goad (MDG) number 4 i.e. to reduce their under 5 mortality rates by two third (2/3).
In the aspect of the psychosocial impacts of sickle cell disease on the people living with sickle cell disease which is the main focus of the study, tension, fears, insomnia, intellectual, depressed mood, somatic (muscular), somatic (sensory), cardiovascular symptoms, respiratory symptoms, gastrointestinal symptoms, genitourinary symptoms, autonomic symptoms, behavior at interview, financial incapacitation, family disharmony and peer group isolation are psychosocial impacts among people living with sickle cell disease.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Based on the findings from the study, the following recommendations are therefore made:
- Government of various countries should strengthen the existing national health insurance as well as subsidizing the cost of sickle cell disease (SCD) care to alleviate the huge financial burden on the family.
- Regular psychosocial support should be available to alleviate caregivers and or family members’ burden.
- Social organizations i.e. National Sickle Cell Association and Sickle Cell Club should be encouraged so that sickle cell disease victims and their caregivers can share their feelings and counsel among one another.
- Promotion of neonatal screening genetic counseling and comprehensive public health education aiming at increasing community awareness on the burden and prevention of the disease.
- Routine haemoglobin genotype determination for adolescents before entering into marital relationships to offer a programmatic approach in reducing the high prevalence of the sickle cell gene and the attendant problems.
- Health Education on limitation of family size to reduce the risk of mothers from having additional sickle cell disease children.
REFERENCES
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- Anie, Egunjobi and Akinyan, (2011) psychosocial impact of sickle cell disorder: perspective from a Nigeria setting. Brent sickle and thalassaemia centre, imperial college school of Medicine, central middle sex hospital, London, NW107NS. UK.
- Boyd., Watkins, Price, Fleming, and De Baoun, (2005). Inadequate community knowledge about sickle cell disease among African American women. Journal of the National Medical Association, 97 (1).
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