Journal of Hematology & Thromboembolic Diseases
Open Access
ISSN: 2329-8790
ISSN: 2329-8790
Caroline Okumdi Muoghalu
Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria
Posters & Accepted Abstracts: J Hematol Thrombo Dis
Sickle cell disease continues to be a public health problem in Nigeria due to the huge number of people who are carrying the gene that predisposes them to the disease. As many as 90,000 babies are born with the disease annually and many of them do not get to the age of ten before they die as the disease comes with enormous morbidity. Males and females in the country experience diseases differently due to the patriarchal social organization and the concomitant gender relations. Sickle cell disease affects males and females equally. However, researchers have not paid much attention to the gender dimensions of the disease, that is, the social aspect of the disease in terms of how sufferers are treated by family, health workers, society and the coping strategies adopted by male and female sufferers. These are the interest of this paper. The only preliminary review had been conducted. Further relevant articles in PubMed, journals, books and google scholar will be reviewed using gender and sickle cell disease, health workers, family and society reactions as search themes. A preliminary review showed that morbidity appeared to be increased in males with higher pain ratings and low tolerance for pain. On the other hand, women experience more renal papillary necrosis and a higher level of anxiety over pregnancy-related crises. Importantly, the social dimensions of sickle cell disease and gender have not been reviewed. The preliminary conclusion will be that women experience sickle cell disease differently from men and as such need different intervention strategies.
E-mail: omuoghal@yahoo.co.ukk