An observational study to assess the lakshanas of Doshaja Pandu in known cases of sickle cell anaemia.

Ayurveda is the most ancient system of medicine. In the classification the disease Pandu felt in the group of varna in which there is a significant change in the normal colour of the body. The detail description of Panduroga and its classification starts from ayurvedic Samhitas. According to ayurveda the word Pandu denotes pale yellowish white colour. It is a disease in which person becomes pallor due to deficiency of Rakta dhatu in the body. Most of the acharyas accepted the disease under five categories Vataj, Pittaj, Kaphaj, Sannipataj, Mrudbhakshanjanya.

The Panduta means pallor on the skin, which is the cardinal sign found in anaemia according to modern science. Anaemia is defined as a haemoglobin concentration in blood below the lower limit of the normal range for the age and sex of the individual. A condition, in which the blood does not have enough healthy red blood cells.

Anaemia results from a lack of red blood cells or dysfunctional red blood cells in the body this leads to reduced oxygen flow to the body organs. In general anaemia seen as genetically, nutritional or blood loss disorder. Sickle cell anaemia is the type of anaemia which is a genetic disorder. The most important and widely prevalent type of haemoglobinopathy is due to the presence of sickle haemoglobin (Hbs) in the red blood cells. The red cells with Hbs develop ’Sickling’ when they are exposed to low oxygen tension sickle syndromes have the highest frequency in black race.

Although sickle cell anaemia is a genetic disorder but if one can correlate sickle cell anaemia with Doshaj pandu lakshana, it will help in early diagnosis and nidanparivarjana can be advice. Also it will help to give a supportive treatment according to type of Doshaj pandu correlated with sickle cell anaemia, hence this topic will be selected.