Besides transfusions and transplants and pills, what are other ways to treat sickle cell anemia?

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As I am sure you are aware by now, sickle cell anemia is a genetic disease. In this case, the gene that encodes a protein known as hemoglobbin is damaged. This damage to the gene means that the hemoglobbin protein that is made is abnormal: in low oxygen conditions, it sticks to itself and warps ('sickles') the shape of the red blood cells. This causes the RBCs to have trouble passing through the smallest blood vessels, the capillaries. It is this disruption of normal blood flow which causes the symptoms of sickle cell.

Again, as I am sure you know, we all have 2 copies of each of our genes (with a few exceptions), one of which we inherit from our mother and one from our father. In sickle cell patients, both copies of the hemoglobbin gene are damaged. People with only one damaged copy are said to carry the disease, but generally show no symptoms.

So, sickle cell patients have a defective protein and no possible internal source of the correct protein. This makes treatment difficult: without a bone marrow transplant I don't think there is currently any way to introduce a gene that would make a correct protein. Thus, I think the only treatment options are likely to be transfusions and pills which limit the damage caused by the sickling or which try to limit the abnormal protein stickiness which causes the RBCs to sickle.

I am quite sure, human nature being what it is, that there are many, many people out there trying to push alternative treatments for sickle cell. In some cases, the people really believe in what they are selling, but in others greedy cynics are selling hopes they know are false. Be very careful about pursueing alternative treatments, because I doubt they are going to be very effective. Just from the standpoint of numbers, sickle cell is common enough that if there was some breakthrough that helped a lot of people - even if it was folk medicine or an alternate treatment approach - it wouldn't be kept secret.

I don't know everything, though, and you shouldn't take my word as fact ... if you search at Amazon, there are tons of books available about sickle cell, and you should read a couple of them to see what information is out there ...

You could also approach the hematology department at a nearby research hospital or medical school (they usually are the places that are most up to date), and ask them if they can help you find information about alternative approaches. I think if you find the right doctor, she/he might be able to help you think about what different strategies might work.

Another source of information would be patient support groups. I expect that there are probably such groups in any major American city.

Good luck.

When babies are born now you have the oportunity to save the blood out of their umbillical cord. You bank their blood and store it. There are all these stem cells in this blood. If at a later date anyone in the immediate family ever needs these to treat cancer, luekemia or sickle cell anemia, these are used. They have many uses now and they are constantly finding more and more things that they can be used for. I have heard that people can donate it for research. Now don't ask me how to get it if you have not had it saved, I never really looked into it much.

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Besides transfusions and transplants and pills, what are other ways to treat sickle cell anemia?

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