Willemstad, September 7th, 2022 – To prevent cerebral infarctions, Curaçao Medical Center (CMC) has been regularly screening all children with sickle disease. This is done using Transcranial Doppler (TCD), a research method with an ultrasound machine that measures the velocities of the blood flow in the large blood vessels of the brain. This research method is safe, does not emit radiation, and does not hurt the children. They just need to rest for a while.
Sickle cell disease is a hereditary condition in which the red blood cells look different, in the shape of a sickle, or moon-shaped. This can cause problems with almost all organs of the body throughout the life of a child and adult. An important consequence is that the blood vessels start to clog. When this happens in the brain, it is called a cerebral infarction or CVA (cerebrovascular accident).
Research shows that more than 11% of sickle cell patients experience a cerebral infarction before the age of 20, most often between 1 and 5 years. Ultimately, more than 25% (that is 1 in 4 adults with sickle cell disease) will have a cerebral infarction.
However, a significant proportion of children with sickle cell disease are also affected by so-called ‘silent infarctions’. Scientific studies show this to be the case in 21% of children. Due to these ‘silent infarctions’, there is no paralysis such as a cerebral infarction, but there can certainly be delays in development and school performance.
Since this year, all children with sickle cell disease are screened at the Function Department of CMC. This is done weekly by Ms. Elisabeth Kroone, Head of Neurophysiology (KNF) Clinic under the direction of Dr. Meindert Manshande, pediatrician and coordinator for sickle cell disease in children.
The team is proud to have this screening process in place. “Sickle Cell Disease is often a very debilitating condition in children. At CMC we do everything we can to let the children lead a life as complaints-free and bearable as possible. Nowadays, better care is available for the children with sickle cell disease. This TCD study certainly contributes to this and has now become an indispensable part of sickle cell care,” says Dr. Manshande.
