Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria 2020 Portal See Frequently Asked Questions

Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria 2020 Portal See Frequently Asked Questions.

Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria Portal: The Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria is a non-governmental and also a non –profit making association dedicated to the proper care and control of sickle cell ailment in Nigeria.

The Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria was registered in November 1994 to address vital issues, such as capacity building, research, policy implementation, monitoring, and evaluation necessary for the sustained management and control of sickle cell disorder in Nigeria.

The foundation operates a Private Public Partnership with the Nigerian government through its affiliations with the Lagos University Teaching Hospital and College of Medicine, the Federal Ministry of Health, and the Sickle Cell Clinics supervised in Delta and Lagos States.

Below, we have provided some information about the Sickle Cell Foundation, and some frequently asked questions.

Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria

The sickle cell foundation is an organization in Nigeria that is dedicated to the proper care and control of sickle cell disorder in Nigeria. It is a non-governmental and non-profit making organization.

The Sickle Cell Foundation Nigeria has established the National Sickle Cell Centre in line with WHO recommendation for Sickle Cell treatment, care, and research and this center is the first of its kind in all of Africa

The National Sickle Cell Center has Hemoglobin and DNA laboratories that provide state-of-the-art services for accurate results of tests.

Pre-Natal Diagnosis is carried out to determination of the genotype of a couple’s unborn child in early pregnancy.

TCD Ultrasound scan service is offered daily at the National Sickle Cell Center to children between the ages of 2 and 16 to assist them to determine those at risk of developing stroke so that stroke prevention interventions can be instituted.

Genetic Counseling services are also carried out daily at the center. This counseling is critical to the effective management of sickle cell disorder.

The foundation conducts outreach programs to communities – raising awareness about sickle cell disorder, carrying out FREE genotype testing and also providing free consultation and treatment for common ailments

Vision and Mission of the Foundation

The vision of the Sickle cell foundation is to alleviate the burden of sickle cell disorder in Nigeria and to also ensure that all affected persons can live normal pain-free lives.

The mission of the foundation is to develop a world-class National Sickle Cell Center and to also drive the search for effective solutions to the problems associated with sickle cell and related disorders in Nigeria.

Sickle Cell Disorder

Sickle-Cell disease is a group of blood disorders typically inherited from the parents. The most common type is known as sickle-cell anemia.

In Nigeria, it affects two out of every hundred children born; the disorder has caused suffering for a lot of patients and their families.

Sickle cell disorder is an inherited hemoglobin disorder comprising sickle cell anemia (Hb SS) and some less dominant but related conditions such as sickle hemoglobin C disorder (Hb SC) and sickle beta-thalassemia (Hb SBthal).

The genes for these disorders arose by mutation but proliferated in areas where there is a high incidence of falciparum malaria, the most lethal strain of malaria known to man.

Sickle cell results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin (hemoglobin S) found in red blood cells.

This leads to a stiff, sickle-like shape of hemoglobin under certain circumstances. Problems in sickle cell disease begin around 5 to 6 months of age.

This disorder causes several health problems, such as attacks of pain anemia, swelling in the hands and feet, bacterial infections, and stroke.

Long term pain may develop as people get older. The average life expectancy in the developed world is 40 to 60 years.

The sickle cell team has done over 400 bone marrow transplants with flourishing outcomes.

In the pediatric population, bone marrow transplants are offered as an opportunity to cure several non-cancerous conditions.

These could be diseases where blood is not being formed like aplastic anemia, dyskeratosis congenital or the blood is being formed but abnormally like thalassemia and sickle cell anemia, conditions where there are immunodeficiencies like scid, diamond blackfin syndrome or some other genetic disorders like mucopolysaccharidosis or osteoporosis.

Blood cells grow in the same way other cells grow. They develop in the bone marrow from a parent cell known as a stem cell.

These stem cells begin to divide and mature until they are fully developed, forming all the different types of blood cells: white blood cells, platelets, and red blood cells.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. Q: What is the sickle cell trait?

A: Sickle cell trait is a trait that someone carries form one copy of the gene that causes sickle cell disease. 

Red blood cells contain some abnormal sickle hemoglobin, but most of the hemoglobin in each red blood cell is normal.

2. Q: Who is affected by sickle cell trait?

A: a lot of individuals worldwide have sickle cell trait. Most people with sickle cell trait are Africans.

3. Q: How does someone get sickle cell trait?

A: Sickle cell is an inherited condition.

4. Q: How does an individual know if he or she has sickle cell trait? How is it diagnosed?

A: Sickle cell trait can only be detected by a blood test. Sickle cell testing should be performed by a knowledgeable provider, who can interpret test results and also give comprehensive counseling.

5. Q: What precautions should an individual with sickle cell trait take when participating in sports or exercise? How can an individual with sickle cell trait prevent exercise-related complications?

A: Individuals with sickle cell trait should consider the same precautions that can prevent injuries and exercise-related illnesses as people who do not have sickle cell trait.

These include being cautious of heat and humidity, drinking adequate fluids, taking rest breaks as needed, and not exceeding their current level of fitness.

6. Q: When should an individual with sickle cell trait see a medical professional?

A: Individuals should see a doctor when they have blood in their urine, experience eye trauma, or have heat exhaustion.

7. Q: When should an individual with sickle cell trait see a counselor?

A: a lot of individuals with sickle cell trait are unaware of their status. Hematologists recommend that all individuals at risk for sickle cell trait be aware of their trait status and be evaluated by primary-care providers or specialists, such as hematologists or genetic counselors.

For more information about the Sickle cell foundation, visit;

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StudentsandScholarship Team.