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22.06.2022 Health

Sickle cell anaemia is curable, but not by getting new blood — Sickle volunteer reveals

Dr. Marian Quansah, Sickle cell volunteerDr. Marian Quansah, Sickle cell volunteer
22.06.2022 LISTEN

A medical practitioner, Dr. Marian Quansah has said sickle cell anaemia can be remedied but not by replacing the patient's blood with a new one.

Dr. Quansah revealed that bone marrow transplants can be used to treat sickle cell anaemia.

On the Prime Morning Show on Joy Prime, an Accra-based television station monitored by this portal on Tuesday, June 21, 2022, she stated that the procedure for the cure is costly but it is an effective cure for sickle cell anaemia.

She also debunked the myth that replacing one's blood will cure sickle cell anaemia. She explained that the bone marrow is where the blood cells are stored.

“If somebody has sickle cell disease, you’ll want to change what is producing the sickle cell, that is, the bone marrow. So we look at that as a cure for sickle cell disease but it is very expensive, and for that one, the aim is that if I’m replacing that bone marrow in my body with somebody who does not have a sickle cell disease, subsequently the cells that will be produced will not have the sickle cell,” she said.

Dr. Quansah noted that the cure for sickle cell anaemia has no age limit. She added that the treatment is not easily affordable because of the cost involved.

“No, there is no age limit. Anybody can go for it but because of how expensive it is, it’s not usually affordable for everybody,” she stated.

According to the Sickle Life volunteer, before the transplant takes place, the bone marrow recipient must be medically examined because the body may reject the cells, rendering the transplant ineffective.

Isaac Donkor Distinguished
Isaac Donkor Distinguished

News ReporterPage: IsaacDonkorDistinguished

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