If Sickle Cell Anemia precludes Malaria then are there other illnesses that preclude other illnesses?

Question

Please give examples

Answer 1

Excellent question, wish I knew the answer; darn you ... now I'll be up all night researching! It's thought that the sickle cell/malaria connection is one of "natural selection" but I don't want to open that can of worms here. I'd start looking in the direction of disorders that could "adapt" to certain environments. Epidemiology is something of a specialty of mine given my degree, so that presents a very interesting research idea. I also remember reading a book called "Adaptive Dynamics of Infectious Diseases" but as most things I have read it seems to have been lost in space. (between my ears)

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Well at least it only took an hour! :)

The knowledge that one disease may prevent the onset of another is not new. For example, the discovery that cowpox vaccines can prevent smallpox dates back to 1798.
E. Richard Stiehm, at the Mattel Children's Hospital at UCLA, researched examples throughout medical history of ways that one disease prevents another.

His findings suggest that genetic, infectious and metabolic influences should be considered when looking for treatments, particularly in regard to HIV/AIDS.

" Clinical observations of disease-versus-disease interactions have led to an understanding of the mechanisms of several diseases," Stiehm said. " In turn, these observations have led to the development of vaccines, therapeutic antibodies, medications and special diets."

Stiehm's research illustrated 12 disease pairs, reviewed their therapeutic implications and suggested additional applications.

A few of the pairings that Stiehm described include:

Sickle cell disease and malaria. In 1948, British biologist J.B. Haldane proposed that malaria was an evolutionary force for selecting malaria-resistant genes. He suggested that those carrying the gene for sickle cell anemia were better able to survive in malaria-infected areas.

Leprosy patients have severe immune defects and cutaneous anergy -- an inability to respond to skin testing. They hardly ever get psoriasis, a skin disorder.

Starvation was used since biblical times for the treatment of seizures, which were believed to be demons.
A 1924 discovery showed that a diet rich in fat and low in carbohydrates mimicked starvation by causing ketonemia and also controlled seizures. The ketogenic diet is still used today for cases of epilepsy resistant to medication.

During the 1994 winter of starvation when bread supplies to the children's hospital were interrupted at The Hague, young patients with celiac disease, a digestive disease that damages the small intestine and interferes with absorption of nutrients from food, thrived on their "non-bread" diet. Wheat was discovered to be the culprit.

Other diseases that benefit from severe caloric or protein restriction include kidney failure, type-II diabetes, inflammatory bowel disease and morbid obesity.

Overall, Stiehm proposed that new evidence can be found for using certain viruses to treat diseases such as HIV, which do not respond to other medications.

" There have been several studies indicating that HIV patients co-infected with a virus related to hepatitis C, called GB virus C, have less severe HIV disease and improved survival," Stiehm said.

Stiehm got the idea for his historical review from cases he saw while a pediatric resident at Babies Hospital in New York City.
One case was a kidney disease patient with nephrosis who was unresponsive to medications but went into remission after contracting measles.
The other, a cystic fibrosis ( CF ) patient who needed to be admitted to the hospital, but there were no rooms available. Stiehm's supervisor, a CF specialist, told him, " put him in the room with the tuberculosis patient -- CF patients never get tuberculosis." Subsequent studies have confirmed this observation.

Answer 2

Sickle Cell Anemia doesn't actually preclude Malaria. Having the GENE for sickle cell anemia makes a person resistant to malaria.

As a result of the work now being done on gene therapy, scientists are beginning to think that this type of thing (a gene causing one illness but being protective against another) may not be that uncommon. I don't know what other examples they have found, but I do know it has made them more cautious about carrying out gene therapy until they are sure what unexpected effects it can have.

Answer 3

1

Answer 4

Sickle Cell Anemia developed over a period of time in populations where Malaria was prevalent as a means to protect people against developing malaria. This was in parts of Africa and parts of the Mediterranean. There is also a theory, that has been scientifically researched with regards to Type II Diabetes and the Aboriginal people of North America (sometimes called American Indians or Native Americans). This has been dubbed the "Thrifty Gene Theory", in that it is theorized that Diabetes II developed in this population as a result of the "feast and famine" that occurred among the hunters and gatherers as a means of protecting against starvation. However, as food became plentiful all year round and people no longer had to hunt or search for food by following migratory animals and availabilty of wild fruits and vegetables, this gene caused a predisposition for Diabetes. Diabetes II was virtually unknown among this group of people until after the 1940's. Another disease that falls into this category if Tay-Saks disease, which is highly prevalent among the Jewish population. I don't recall what this disease was initially developed as protection from, it's been over 25 years since I studied this.

Answer 5

Sickle cell anemia protects from falciparum malaria and thalassemia, from vivax malaria. The red blood cells are destroyed before the parasite can develp in them. Children with nephrotic syndrome go into remission with measles.
Platelet function disorders protect from ischemic heart disease, as thrombosis does not take place.