Approaches to the management of SCD and its complications
| Approach . | Definition . |
|---|---|
| 1. Supportive management | Management intended to maintain the essential requirements for good health, such as balanced diet, sleep, hydration, folic acid, regular follow-ups, etc. |
| 2. Symptomatic management | Management targeted to alleviate the symptoms of the disease as they occur. These include blood transfusion for symptomatic anemia, analgesics for pain, antibiotics for infections, etc. |
| 3. Preventative management | Approaches to prevent the occurrence of complications of the disease. These include things, such as vaccination, avoidance of stressful situations, Hb F induction with hydroxyurea or other agents, transfusion to prevent the recurrence of stroke, etc. |
| 4. Abortive management | The major purpose of this approach is to abort painful crisis, thus preventing them from getting worse or precipitating other complications. Promising abortive approaches include NO, antiadhesion factors, etc. |
| 5. Curative therapy | This is the ultimate goal of all inherited disorders. This has been achieved in SCD by stem cell transplantation. Gene therapy remains a challenging goal. |
| Approach . | Definition . |
|---|---|
| 1. Supportive management | Management intended to maintain the essential requirements for good health, such as balanced diet, sleep, hydration, folic acid, regular follow-ups, etc. |
| 2. Symptomatic management | Management targeted to alleviate the symptoms of the disease as they occur. These include blood transfusion for symptomatic anemia, analgesics for pain, antibiotics for infections, etc. |
| 3. Preventative management | Approaches to prevent the occurrence of complications of the disease. These include things, such as vaccination, avoidance of stressful situations, Hb F induction with hydroxyurea or other agents, transfusion to prevent the recurrence of stroke, etc. |
| 4. Abortive management | The major purpose of this approach is to abort painful crisis, thus preventing them from getting worse or precipitating other complications. Promising abortive approaches include NO, antiadhesion factors, etc. |
| 5. Curative therapy | This is the ultimate goal of all inherited disorders. This has been achieved in SCD by stem cell transplantation. Gene therapy remains a challenging goal. |
Adapted from Ballas et al100 with permission.