A Genetic Disease: The Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell anemia occurs when a person inherits two abnormal genes (one from each parent) that cause their red blood cells to change shape. Instead of being flexible and round, these cells are more rigid and curved in the shape of the farm tool known as a sickle - that's where the disease gets its name. The shape

Sickle Cell Disease is an illness that affects people all across the globe. This paper will give a description of the sickness through the discussion of the causes, symptoms, and possible cures. Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a "group of inherited red blood cell disorders."(1) These disorders can have various afflictions, such as pain, damage and a low blood count--Sickle Cell Anemia.

Sickle Cell anemia is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders, or a collection of recessive genetic disorders characterized by a hemoglobin variant called Hb S. Normal red blood cells are round like doughnuts, and they move through small blood tubes in the body to deliver oxygen. Sickle red blood cells become hard, sticky and shaped like sickles used to cut wheat. When these hard and pointed red cells go through the small blood tube, they clog the flow and break apart. This can cause pain, damage and a low blood count, or anemia. There is a substance in the red cell called hemoglobin that carries oxygen inside the cell. One little change in this substance causes the hemoglobin to form long hard rods in the red cell when it gives

In this article, sickle cell anemia is defined as a hereditary disease that destroys red blood cells by causing them take on an elongated and rigid "sickle" shape. In addition, a different type of hemoglobin called Hemoglobin S, is the protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. This protein starts to wrap around other red blood cells when oxygen is lacking to form a helical shape. Once this happens the cells cluster together and elongate and the cells start to "sickle". A person who has sickle cell anemia can only get it if both of their parents carry the sickle cell trait, if only one parent has the trait then there children are at risk for having the trait.

Sickle cell disease is a chronic condition that a person can inherit from their parents in which it effects the globular structure of the patients red blood cells. A more sickle shaped structure, which can alter a person’s blood flow, replaces the more common globular structure. This impairment in blood flow can lead to blood clots, severe debilitating pain and damage to vital organs such as the liver, kidney and spleen. This disease currently affects over 90,000 people in the United States, with the majority of them being African American and

Sickle cell anaemia is a disorder affecting the red blood cells and up to 100,000 people are estimated to have the disease in the USA (Centre for Disease Control). Due to a genetic mutation in the gene responsible for the production of haemoglobin (MayoClinic, 2014) the red blood cells, which are usually a biconcave disk in shape, become sickle (bent) shaped (Figure 1) and the haemoglobin that the red blood cells contain is defective. Haemoglobin is a protein that carries oxygen (which has bind to the haemoglobin) around the body from the lungs after gas exchange. Having defective haemoglobin, as is the case with sickle cell anaemia, means

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder. This missense mutation is characterized by mutant beta globin subunits that tend to stick together (Cummings, 2014). As a result, abnormally shaped red blood cells are produced by this disorder. The erythrocytes are sickle or crescent shaped. Sickling occurs under hypoxic conditions, in which there is insufficient supply of oxygen delivered throughout the body (Sun & Xia, 2013). In order to inherit this monogenic disease, one copy of the sickle globin gene from each parent must be passed on to the offspring (Ashley-Koch,

Sickle Cell Disease, also referred to as SCD, is a genetically inherited disease that causes abnormal hemoglobin, called hemoglobin S or sickle hemoglobin, in red blood cells. This disease currently affects about 90,000-100,000 Americans, a majority being African-American. Because SCD is genetically inherited, it is not contagious. It is inherited when both parents of a child carry the sickle cell trait, also called SCT. SCT and SCD are not the same. In SCT, the person is generally healthy and does not endure what one with SCD does, they are simply a “carrier” of the sickle cell trait. SCD cannot be inherited if only one parent is a carrier. If both parents are carriers of the sickle cell trait, the child still only has a 25% chance of being born with sickle cell. They have a 50% chance of being born with a single trait, making them a carrier, and a 25% chance of being born with normal hemoglobin. About 1 in 13 African-American babies are born as a carrier and 1 in 365 are born with the disease.

The sickle-shaped red cells interfere with normal blood flow by plugging up small blood vessels. Sickle-cell anemia occurs when an individual inherits a sickle-cell gene from each parent. Programs have been initiated to detect carriers, who do not themselves show the trait; such carriers are informed that a child resulting from the union of two carriers runs a one in four risk of having sickle-cell disease. Therapy for sickle-cell anemia is largely symptomatic. Preventive administration of penicillin to affected children by the age of four months greatly decreases mortality from infections.

Sickle cell disease is a combination of inherited red blood cell disorders. For individuals who currently have or carry the disease contain abnormal hemoglobin, which is better, known as hemoglobin S or sickle hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is the protein molecule in which red blood cells carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and gives back carbon dioxide from the tissues and back to the lungs.

Sickle Cell Disease is an autosomal recessive genetic disease that occurs due to a mutation in the β-globin gene of hemoglobin. Autosomal meaning that it is not linked to a sex chromosome, so either parent can pass on the gene to their child. This mutation is a result of a single substitution of amino acids, Glutamic for Valine at position 6 of a β globin chain. The presence of this mutation causes

The Genetics Home Reference writes that sickle cell disease affects the body’s blood, in particular the red blood cells. The hemoglobin in an afflicted person is abnormal and can warp the shape of the red blood cells into a the shape of a sickle. Results of the odd-shaped red blood cells is them getting caught in blood vessels or breaking down too early, often causing anemia (an insubstantial amount of red blood cells) to occur. Because of these blockages, tissues and organs can be deprived of their blood supply. This can cause damage to them and the most commonly affected organs are the brain, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Typically sickle cell disease symptoms start to appear in early childhood. Common symptoms are frequent infections and painful

Sickle Cell Anemia is a disease that affects how oxygen is carried throughout the body by blood. Specifically, sickle cell anemia is characterized by a change in the shape of red blood cells from a smooth donut shape to a crescent or sickled shape. The sickled cells are very long and stiff, so many times

Now, what is sickle cell? Sickle cell anemia also known as sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disease that cause blood cells to form in crescent shape at low oxygen levels. “ sickle cell is a group of disorders that affects hemoglobin.” ( genetics home reference) Sickle cell is a very important and life threatening disease that can lead to a challenging life. Instead of moving brought the blood stream easy sickle cells can get clogged up in blood vessels and when this occurs the body's organs can not get the appropriate amount of oxygen needed.

Sickle Cell Anemia is a disease that affects how oxygen is carried throughout the body by blood. Specifically, sickle cell anemia is characterized by a change in the shape of red blood cells from a smooth donut shape to a crescent or sickled shape, almost the same shape as a crescent moon. The sickled cells are very long and stiff, so sometimes