Paediatrics
As the national screening programme rolls out across the
country, there will be increasing numbers of children with
thalassaemia or sickle cell born within communities where
the experience of managing such cases is limited. We believe
that this is a particularly crucial area; if mistakes are made in
childhood it may not be possible to undo all the damage in
adult life.
For 10 years we have run a joint clinic with a paediatrician, haematologist, counsellor and psychologist present. This is clearly an expensive service but we believe it will pay dividends in the longer term because affected children will grow up into healthy adults.
If there is one area alone in which we would encourage you to seek support it is in the paediatric field. We know that there are a number of myths around sickle cell, in particular within the community. It is not rare to find that penicillin prophylaxis has been abandoned and this is often because the parents, and regrettably sometimes the general practitioner, has failed to understand the importance of this treatment.
For 10 years we have run a joint clinic with a paediatrician, haematologist, counsellor and psychologist present. This is clearly an expensive service but we believe it will pay dividends in the longer term because affected children will grow up into healthy adults.
If there is one area alone in which we would encourage you to seek support it is in the paediatric field. We know that there are a number of myths around sickle cell, in particular within the community. It is not rare to find that penicillin prophylaxis has been abandoned and this is often because the parents, and regrettably sometimes the general practitioner, has failed to understand the importance of this treatment.
Dr Andrew Robins
Dr Andrew Robins has now been running a sickle cell clinic for children for more than 10 years. He has become aware of the impact that social circumstances and nutrition have on the health of individuals with sickle cell. He strongly believes that holistic approach is essential if these children are to grow into healthy adults who are not primarily dependent on hospital services.more
Last updated04 Mar 2008