source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

year: 2020

Transition is the process of young people with sickle cell disease (SCD), a genetic blood disorder, learning to become more responsible for their health and transferring their health care to an adult healthcare provider. Learn about transitioning care with SCD, read tips to prepare for it, and find more resources to help manage transition. For teens with sickle cell disease, transition is part of maturing into an adult.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic blood disorder affecting red blood cells. People with SCD have abnormally shaped red blood cells that block oxygen from reaching the body’s tissues and organs. SCD is present at birth, and mild to severe health problems, such as pain crises, infection, and stroke can affect people with SCD throughout their lifetime.

When a child with SCD is young, parents or other adult caregivers are responsible for managing the child’s health and healthcare needs. Parents or other adult caregivers will schedule doctor’s appointments, manage treatment schedules, and make sure the child is both eating healthy and sleeping well to reduce the severity and occurrence of pain crises and other SCD-related health problems.

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