The role of nutrition in the pathophysiology and management of sickle cell disease among children: A review of literature

Abstract

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the common inherited blood disorders in humans and has been associated with decreased dietary intake which results in poor nutritional status and impaired growth. Nutrition is one of the most important but often forgotten aspect of care of patients with chronic disorders and there have been emerging concern in literature on increased nutritional needs of SCD patients. This paper sought to review the available literature on the roles of individual nutrients in the pathophysiology and management of SCD among children. Children with SCD have been shown to exhibit suboptimal status with respect to both macronutrients and micronutrients. Thus, nutrition could play an important role in the management of SCD. However, there is paucity of evidence coming from trials with large sample sizes to support the suggestion that supplementation with various nutrients that have been considered in this review will be helpful.

Evaluation of The Effect of Mortality, Life Expectancy and Treatment Modalities of Sickle Cell Patients on Mortality

“…In our study, the average life span of SCD patients was found to be lower compared to other studies ( Table 1). Among the factors that are considered to have an effect on this result are the genetic characteristics of the Mediterranean population where our hospital is located, the lack of better health services, nutrition problems, hygiene issues, low educational statuses, lack of vaccination, insufficient newborn screenings, low use of hydroxyurea, low use of prophylactic antibiotics to prevent infections and the problems that the older SCD patients face in accessing health services (12). Sickle cell disease is characterized by chronic hemolysis, recurrent pain episodes (which are described as sickle cell-related pain crises or vaso-occlusive crises, multiorgan dysfunction, and premature death.…”

Functional foods: promising therapeutics for Nigerian Children with sickle cell diseases

“…Children with SCD have been indicated to manifest different degrees of macro- and micro-deficiencies, which is associated with SCD painful crises and the frequency of hospitalizations [ 82 , 83 ]. Nutritional supplementation with polyunsaturated fatty acids, magnesium, iron, zinc, folate, protein, energy, vitamin A, C, D and E, have all been suggested with the great potential benefit of preventing the painful crises of SCD and promoting healthy growth in children with SCD [ 84 ]. Therefore, there is the need to consider the roles of different nutrients and integrate nutritional interventions in the management of children with SCD.…”

The relationship between nutrition, gut dysbiosis, and pediatric sickle cell pain outcomes: A pilot study

“…Current pain management strategies include both opioid and non‐opioid approaches to treating acute and chronic pain in addition to prescribing daily or monthly sickle cell modifying therapies 5 . While several other disease fields have incorporated nutritional interventions to prevent or reduce pain, limited data exist on dietary interventions that could improve outcomes in children living with SCD 6,7 …”