Sickle cell anemia is the most widely inherited genetic disorder in the United States. Folic acids are one important nutrient that helps increase and produce some red blood cells in the bone marrow. This paper investigates how folic acid has used a supplement for pregnant women (Knott).
Sickle cell anemia can be genetically passed to the baby from a mother who has it or who is a carrier. Symptoms of the disease include headaches, irritability, fatigue, dizziness, diarrhea, cold feeling, difficulty when breathing, difficulty concentrating and pale skin (Lindenbaum, John, & Klipstein 16).
Malnutrition in pregnant females is the main cause of sickle cell anemia. Bleeding heavily is yet another cause of sickle cell anemia. Pregnant women lose their folic acid due to morning sickness and because the fetus absorbs most of the folic acid from the woman (Haris). 400 to 1000 micrograms of folic acid are recommended as a daily dose by doctors to help prevent a folic acid deficiency in pregnant women. Pregnant women can, however, take a higher dose of the nutrient depending on how low their folic acid levels are. They can take up to 1000mcg of the nutrient without overdosing. One of the easiest ways to administer folic acid is through tablets. Nonetheless, low levels of folic acid in the body forces the medical staff to administer folic acid (Sharma 181-183).
The food one eats also plays a huge role in the treatment process (Anderson, et al. 4) .The patient should also consume foods that have a high nutritional value of folic acid. Foods such as oranges, pinto beans, and spinach have a high level of folic acid (Anderson 25). The combination of folic acid and a balanced diet will steer the way to recovery for a pregnant woman.
Works Cited
Anderson, Mavis, et al. "Sickle-cell disease in pregnancy." The Lancet276.7149 (1960): 516-521.
Haris, Nadia. "Folic Acid & Sickle Cell Anemia | LIVESTRONG.COM". LIVESTRONG.COM. N.p., 2015. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
Knott, Dr. "Folic Acid Deficiency Anaemia. Lack of Folic Acid | Patient". Patient. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Apr. 2016.
Lindenbaum, John, and Frederick A. Klipstein. "Folic acid deficiency in sickle-cell anemia." New England Journal of Medicine 269.17 (1963): 875-882.
Scholl, Theresa O., and William G. Johnson. "Folic acid: influence on the outcome of pregnancy." The American journal of clinical nutrition 71.5 (2000): 1295s-1303s.
Sharma, Rashmi. "Management of sickle cell disease in pregnancy." Apollo Medicine 9.3 (2012): 181-183.
