DISCLAIMER
The information and materials accessed through or made available for use on any of our Sites, including, any information about diseases, conditions, treatments, or medicines, are for informational purposes only. The Content is not intended to be and is not a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and your participation on our Sites does not create a healthcare professional-patient relationship. You should consult a doctor or other qualified health care professional regarding any questions you have about your health or before making any decisions related to your health or wellness. Call your doctor or 911 immediately if you think you may have a medical emergency.compose your message
message sent
email sent successfully
Trusted Resources: Community Center
Online groups, photo galleries and blogs
Overcoming the Stigma of Sickle Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of genetic disorders that affect red blood cells, causing them to become shaped like crescents, or sickles. The sickle-shaped cells travel through the blood stream where they can get stuck and cut off blood flow, causing intense pain and organ damage.
Stigma occurs when a negative stereotype about a group is attributed to an individual. Health-related stigma refers to the rejection of people with certain health conditions, based on a negative stereotype. In the case of SCD, health-related stigma can be compounded by racism (actual or perceived) and can pose significant barriers to getting appropriate care. For example, the seeking of a specific medication for chronic or acute pain may be perceived as the behavior of a person affected by substance abuse. Or, people who are experiencing SCD-related pain may be falsely thought of as malingers (those who pretend to be sick to get out of their responsibilities).
Related Content
-
education & researchTargeted education after an emergency department visit increases hydroxyurea initiation in children with sickle cell...Introduction: Hydroxyurea decreases man...
-
people & placesDavid Beidler, PhDAs the Translational Sciences lead for t...
-
people & placesHatoon Ezzat, MBBS, FRCPC, ABIMDr. Hatoon Ezzat received her medical de...
-
videos & visualsSickle cell sunday 10, Telling people your limitationshttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9TIORqs...
-
education & researchMedical Marijuana for Sickle Cell Disease: Results of Two Years of Certification in an Adult Sickle Cell CenterBackground: The hallmark of sickle cell ...
-
Community CenterNew treatment plan leads to better pain control for acute sickle cell crisisThere’s new hope for the 70,000 to 80,...
-
videos & visualsHow Sickle Cell Anaemia Impacts Families and How We Can Helphttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5GUiuXQ9...
send a message
To improve your experience on this site, we use cookies. This includes cookies essential for the basic functioning of our website, cookies for analytics purposes, and cookies enabling us to personalize site content. By clicking on 'Accept' or any content on this site, you agree that cookies can be placed. You may adjust your browser's cookie settings to suit your preferences. More Information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.