Sickle cell anemia prevalence high among tribals, say experts [Video]

Sickle Cell Anaemia is an inherited disease, which lowers haemoglobin levels making it difficult for red blood cells to carry oxygen to various parts of the body. High incidence of Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is seen in the tribal people of combined Visakhapatnam district.

An overall incidence of around 18% SCD was seen among tribal patients coming to the King George Hospital (KGH), according to studies done in the past, says Dr. C.V. Lakshmi, HoD (Pathology), Andhra Medical College (AMC). The homozygous SCD cases exhibit symptoms like shortness of breath and fever, while heterozygous cases, which have less than 50% sickle cell Hb, are asymptomatic. The symptoms are detected though a sickling test, she says.

“We have found high incidence of SCD in the tribal areas followed by Scheduled Caste people, living in long-term malaria-endemic regions. When a man and his wife are both SCD patients, one-fourth of their children …