Purity A., 4

Purity is the second last born in a family of six children. She lives with her parents and five siblings in a modest two-room mud house. Her father, the sole breadwinner, works as a juakali artisan specializing in making jikos. When in good health, Purity is lively and cheerful around familiar people, though she tends to remain quiet around strangers. The family was referred to Helpster for support following an assessment by the social work department. According to her mother, Purity began feeling weak that morning and was experiencing unusual difficulty in breathing. She was given paracetamol, which provided temporary relief, but later her breathing worsened. Concerned, her mother rushed her to a nearby facility, where Purity received fluids and oral medication before being referred to Siaya County Referral Hospital for further management.

Purity came with complaints of fever, abdominal pains and pale looking.A number of tests were run including full haemogram test, malaria test and glucose stick test. She was diagnosed with sickle cell crisis, septicemia and malaria.Thid warranted admission to the ward, where she stayed for over four days. She was treated on IV artesunate, morphine, folic acid, cetriaxone among other drugs. She responded well to treatment and was later discharged on orals and booked for a follow up on paediatric outpatient clinic after 14 days.

The prognosis for sickle cell crisis, a painful complication of sickle cell disease, varies widely but is generally improved with early diagnosis and management. While sickle cell disease can lead to a shortened life expectancy, advancements in treatment have significantly increased survival rates. Patient was received on time ad prompt management was started and is set to make a full recovery.