title: Precipitating factors and targeted therapies in combating the perils of sickle cell disease--- A special nutritional consideration.
abstract: Nutritional research in sickle cell disease has been the focus in recent times owing to not only specific nutritional deficiencies, but also the improvements associated with less painful episodes. Though hydroxyurea remains the drug of choice, certain adverse health effects on long term supplementation makes room for researches of different compounds. Macro and micro nutrient deficiencies, along with vitamins, play an important role in not only meeting the calorific needs, but also reducing clinical complications and growth abnormalities. Symptoms of hyper protein metabolism, increased cell turnover, increased cardiac output, and appetite suppression due to enhanced cytokine production, might give us leads for better understanding of the mechanisms involved. Different nutritional approaches comprising of traditional herbal therapies, antioxidants, flavonoids, vitamins, minerals etc., reducing oxidative stress and blood aggregation, have been tried out to increase the health potential. Nutritional therapies may also serve complementary to the newer therapies using ozone, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, antifungal medications, erythropoietin etc. Herein we try to present a holistic picture of the different patho-physiological mechanisms, and nutritional strategies adopted.
authors: King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah, 21589 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Shahida A
authors: SA
authors: Khan
authors: King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah, 21589 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Ghazi
authors: G
authors: Damanhouri
authors: King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah, 21589 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Ashraf
authors: A
authors: Ali
authors: National Brain Research Center, Manesar, Gurgaon, 122051 India.
authors: Sarah A
authors: SA
authors: Khan
authors: King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah, 21589 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Aziz
authors: A
authors: Khan
authors: Department of Medicine, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, 450 Clarkson Ave., Brooklyn, New York 11203 United State of America (USA).
authors: Ahmed
authors: A
authors: Bakillah
authors: Department of Hematology, King Fahd Hospital of the Armed forces, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia ; Department of Medical Laboratory, King Fahd Hospital of the Armed forces, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Samy
authors: S
authors: Marouf
authors: Department of Hematology, Soliman Fakeeh Hospital Jeddah, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Ghazi
authors: G
authors: Al Harbi
authors: Department of Hematology, Umm Al Qura University, Faculty of Medicine, Makkah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Saeed H
authors: SH
authors: Halawani
authors: King Fahd Medical Research Center, King Abdulaziz University, P.O. Box 80216, Jeddah, 21589 Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
authors: Ahmad
authors: A
authors: Makki
keywords: Hydroxyurea; Nutrient deficiencies; Nutritional approaches; Sickle cell disease; Vaso-occlusive crisis