Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) and Stem Cell Therapy (SCT): Implications for Psychotherapy and Genetic Counselling in Africa

Abstract

Sickle Cell Disorder (SCD) is an inherited disease of red blood cells which has no widely available cure (Bernaudin, Socie, Kuentz, et al., 2007). While current medical therapies can make a significant difference in short-term effects (i.e. to relieve pain symptoms, prevent in‐ fections and manage complications such as eye damage, and strokes; and control complica‐ tions), the progressive deterioration in organ function results in increased mortality and decreased quality of life among affect persons in Nigeria. Presently, blood and bone marrow stem cell transplant appear to be the only viable option for its eliminating. This option is hugely expensive and unaffordable for the vast majority of the affected Nigerian families since most of them could barely provide for the general routine medication therapies of the patient. Little attention is being given to the management of this disorder in Nigeria as com‐ pared to diseases such as malaria and polio myelitis. Institutional research attention and in‐ ternational funding support towards the search for ways to predict the severity of and for curative therapies of this disorder are also limited in Africa.