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Lifestyle and home remedies
By Mayo Clinic staffTaking steps to stay healthy is critical for anyone with sickle cell anemia. Eating well, getting adequate rest and protecting yourself from infections are good ways to maintain your health and prevent crises.
Infants and children with sickle cell disease need to receive regular childhood vaccinations. Children and adults with sickle cell anemia also should have a yearly flu shot and be immunized against pneumonia.
If you or your child has sickle cell anemia, follow these suggestions to help stay healthy:
- Take folic acid supplements daily, and eat a balanced diet. Bone marrow needs folic acid and other vitamins to make new red blood cells.
- Drink plenty of water. Staying hydrated helps keep your blood diluted, which reduces the chance that sickle cells will form.
- Avoid temperature extremes. Exposure to extreme heat or cold can trigger the formation of sickle cells.
- Reduce stress. A sickle crisis can occur as a result of stress.
- Exercise regularly, but don't overdo it. Talk with your doctor about how much exercise is right for you.
- Use over-the-counter medications with caution. Some medications, such as the decongestant pseudoephedrine, can constrict your blood vessels and make it harder for the sickle cells to move through freely.
- Fly on airplanes with pressurized cabins. Unpressurized aircraft cabins may not provide enough oxygen. Low oxygen levels can trigger a sickle crisis. Additionally, be sure to drink extra water when traveling by air, as pressurized cabins can be dehydrating.
- Avoid high-altitude areas. Traveling to a high-altitude area may also trigger a crisis because of lower oxygen levels.
- Sickle cell anemia. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Sca/SCA_All.html. Accessed Feb. 9, 2009.
- Sickle cell disease. Genetics Home Reference. http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=sicklecelldisease. Accessed Feb. 9, 2009.
- Sickle cell anemia. The Merck Manuals: The Merck Manual for Healthcare Professionals. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec11/ch131/ch131i.html#sec11-ch131-ch131i-238. Accessed Feb. 9, 2009.
- Rodgers GP. Specific therapies for sickle cell disease. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.html. Accessed Feb. 9, 2009.
- Exjade (prescribing information). East Hanover, N.J.: Novartis; 2008
- Reproductive genetic testing. National Human Genome Research Institute. http://www.genome.gov/10004766. Accessed Feb. 9, 2009.
