New Therapy Studied For Sickle Cell Anemia
Below is a MRR and PLR article in category Health Fitness -> subcategory Disease Illness.
New Therapy Explored for Sickle Cell Anemia
Summary
Wanda Gougis experienced heartbreak when her daughter, Juanita, was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia at just six months old?"a condition affecting several members of their family.
Article Body
At only six months old, Juanita Gougis was diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, confirming her mother Wanda’s worst fears. Unlike typical infant cries for attention or food, Juanita’s cries came from relentless pain. The disease causes severe pain episodes impacting all joints and organs.
Watching her child suffer without viable treatments is excruciating for Wanda. Current adult medications for sickle cell anemia have severe side effects unsuitable for children. Consequently, Juanita faces a future filled with painful crises, stunted growth, frequent infections, and missed school.
Sickle cell anemia alters hemoglobin in red blood cells, forming a sickle or crescent shape that struggles to pass through small blood vessels. It affects one in every 500 African-American births. Among the 80,000 to 100,000 African-Americans living with the disease, effective and safe treatments remain scarce. However, hope emerges with a new potential therapy.
Dr. Yutaka Niihara, a young scientist at UCLA, discovered that exposing sickled red blood cells to glutamine?"a harmless amino acid found in the body and common foods?"transforms them back to their normal shape. When given to patients experiencing monthly pain crises, the results were remarkable.
Emergency room visits and pain medication refills significantly decreased, and patients reported enhanced activity levels. This promising treatment, potentially safe for infants, children, and adults, is currently undergoing trials funded by the National Institutes of Health and the Food and Drug Administration, aiming for FDA approval.
Researchers are recruiting individuals with sickle cell anemia for the study. The faster the trials are completed, the sooner this treatment can be available to everyone in need across the country.
You can find the original non-AI version of this article here: New Therapy Studied For Sickle Cell Anemia.
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