A 30 year old carribean Afro woman has booked an appointment with concern.
She wants to become pregnant, her brother has sickle cell anemia, he has painful swelling in limbs , feels pain , and frequent infection.
She doesn’t have any of the symptoms, she reads some articles in the internet about sickle cell
She wants to know if her child will have sickle cell anemia or not
She is normally fit and well, no medical condition or allergy , no sign of anemia, married and lives with husband , he doesn’t have any family disease or sickle cell anemia.
Task:
Talk to the woman and address her concerns
Concern:
Will my baby get this too?
Management:
Greet and confirm identity
Explore her concerns, and ask how her brother is doing , what symptoms he has , and treatment , does any of other family member have the similar symptoms, or they screened for the sickle cell anaemia.
Ask about her partner , any symptom in him or in the family
Now appreciate her for taking decision for getting pregnant
Explain her this disease is caused by the gene that affects red blood cell, if both the parents have the gene there’s chance of 1 child among-st 4 will born with sickle cell anaemia
Rest of them can become carrier
sickle cell anaemia often detected during pregnancy and soon after birth , via heel prick test
Refer her and her husband to genetic counselling clinic for genetic testing for sickle cell anaemia
Tell her more about sickle cell society to learn more