A recent article in the U.S. and World Report News shows that inflammation increases in women during their periods with sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell disease is a red blood cell disorder that causes the red blood cells to become misshapen and sticky. Recent research has demonstrated that inflammation increases pain.
Hormonal contraceptives have been able to suppress menstruation and manage pain. The study analyzed 13 women and 18 men with sickle cell disease. It specifically tracked the C-reactive protein, which causes inflammation in the body. This study showed that the C-reactive protein was higher during the first half of the patients' menstrual cycles. The more data collected from other patients, the more they hope to create a pain management option.
I never really thought about the women that had to deal with sickle cell but also bleed because of their period. This is good that they are finding new ways to fight against this pain and hopefully gives them hope for a semi better life.
ReplyDeleteHi Madalyn,
ReplyDeletethis study was very interesting to read about! It highlighted very important findings on how the menstrual cycle uniquely affects women with sickle cell disease, just like how Leilani said I never knew women who had sickle cell disease would experience this type of pain. It was also fascinating to learn about the linkage between elevated C-reactive protein levels corresponded to the increased pain. It's wonderful to see that hormonal contraceptives are being explored as a tool for pain relief! I can't wait to see future research build on this to create personalized treatment options for patients!
It's very interesting to see how certain genetic conditions can affect some more than others. For women in general, their menstrual cycles are a very uncomfortable time, but I never considered the possibility that certain conditions can make it worse. Because these women have sick cell disease and a higher C-reactive protein, their level of pain tends to be higher than the average woman. Thank you for the good read Madalyn, I appreciated the new information!
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