September has been designated by the US Congress and the National Sickle Cell Association of America as Sickle Cell Awareness Month to increase awareness of the blood disorder and its treatment.
Affecting more than 100,000 people in the US, sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder causing misshaped red blood cells. These cells are crescent-shaped, which interferes with their ability to flow easily through veins, blocking blood flow. This can cause debilitating pain and a variety of health complications such as stroke and lung disease.
Several organizations in the Rochester area provide support for individuals living with sickle cell. Roc City Sickle Warriors provides community and peer support, as well as partnering with the Sickle Cell Advocates of Rochester (SCAR) to raise public awareness and hold education events. SCAR will host a sickle cell education workshop on September 29.
The Centers for Disease Control maintains a sickle cell data collection program for several US states. Although RocHealthData does not have sickle cell specific data, you can view regional data on stroke and lung disease prevalence in the map room.
Leave a Reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.