Everyone should get tested for sickle cell disease

Although the Virgin Islands mandates that all newborns be tested for sickle cell disease, Dr Erole McLean Hobdy is urging that adults get tested to determine whether they have the condition or carry the trait.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited condition that blocks blood flow to organs, compromises the immune system, and causes immense pain to those affected. It disproportionately affects black people, especially those from hot countries where malaria is prevalent. But Dr. McClean — an Oncologist and Haematologist — said people of other ethnicities are affected by the disease and that’s why everyone should get tested to know their status.

“There are many people who are mixed race and they carry the sickle cell gene and it’s not just endemic to Africa, it is prevalent in places that are hot and have mosquitos. Where you have malaria, it can be an issue. Places like India, South East Asia; people from Thailand and the Philippines, they get sickle cell,” Dr McClean explained on the Talking Points radio show earlier this week.

“Hispanics have African blood so should also get tested. Arabs — they live in warm climates in the Middle East. Italians — especially the ones who live in the south — also get sickle cell disease. So sometimes we tend to think of it as an African disease because it affects more Africans,” Dr McClean explained. She added that more ethnicities are carrying the gene because the world has become more racially integrated.

Dr McClean, who practices in the BVI and USVI, said complaints of joint pain are the most telling sign that a child may be affected by the condition.

“They may get sick all the time with infections like pneumonia and you may say, ‘why is this baby having pneumonia’? Usually, that is what triggers parents to do the blood tests because you wouldn’t expect such young children to have pneumonia. That’s why it’s important to test everybody — moms, dads and babies. It’s such an easy test — you just draw the blood test and send it off,” Dr McClean. said. She added that early detection can prevent children from getting diseases such as stroke and meningitis which usually occur when sickle cell affects the body.

With populations made up predominantly of people of African descent, sickle cell disease is quite prevalent in the Caribbean. Most countries in the region, including the BVI, have screening programmes which test newborns for the disease and offer support and treatment for those who have the condition.

Scientists believe the sickle cell gene came about after a particularly vicious form of malaria moved from animals to humans in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.