Sickle Cell Essay

In order to get Sickle Cell Anemia, you must have the Sickle Cell Trait. This is defined as "A person who carries one sickle hemoglobin producing gene inherited from their parents and one normal hemoglobin gene." (3) People who only have one copy of the mutation have the trait. "It is estimated that 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell trait." (3) Having the trait will NOT cause SCD. However, having the gene does allow you to pass the mutation on to your children. In fact, "A child conceived by two people with sickle cell trait has one chance in two of also having sickle cell trait, one chance in four of having sickle cell anemia."(3)

People with sickle cell anemia have inherited two sickle cell genes, one from each parent. A child who has inherited the sickle cell gene from only one parent will not develop the disease, but will have sickle cell trait. People who have sickle cell trait don't have sickle cell anemia or symptoms of the disease, but they can pass the sickle cell gene to their own children.

Each year in the US, an average of 75,000 hospitalizations are due to sickle cell disease, costing approximately $475 million. Sickle cell disease is also associated with significant mortality. Among children, the primary causes of mortality are bacterial infections and stroke. In adults, it is more difficult to attribute specific causes to mortality, but it appears that individuals with more indicative disease are at risk for early mortality.

Any and all major organs are affected by sickle cell disease. The liver, heart, kidneys, gallbladder, eyes, bones, and joints can suffer damage from the abnormal function of the sickle cells and their inability to flow through the small blood vessels correctly. Problems may include the following:

Complications of sickle cell anemia are pain crisis, infection, acute chest syndrome, splenic sequestration, vision loss, leg ulcers, stroke, deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Pain crisis is a feeling of pain that can happen all of the sudden with mild to severe intensity and last for a period of time (“Facts About Sickle Cell Disease,” 2016). Serious bacterial infections are potential life threatening due to the damage to the spleen in some people who have sickle cell anemia (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca/signs). Acute chest syndrome can be life threatening and symptoms included chest pain, coughing, difficulty breathing, and fever. Splenic sequestration is can be life threatening

Sickle Cell Disease or also widely known as Sickle Cell Anemia is a genetic mutation caused in red blood cells destroys its own cells within and reshaping the cell wall resembling crescent or sickle shape; getting its name of the sickle cell disease. These sickled shaped cells attempt to perform its normal function of circulating oxygenated and deoxygenated RBC and gets lodged in small vessels causing vaso-occlusion. Where vaso-occlusive take effect, rest of the body is not receiving oxygen becoming oxygen deprived results in acute and chronic pain and organ damage (Valerie Mann-Jiles, 2015). This disease a lifelong condition affecting not just the person carrying the disease but the whole family. Treating this disease

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease in which the body is unable to produce normal hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein. Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which the body is unable to produce normal hemoglobin, an iron-containing protein. Abnormal hemoglobin can change cells that can become stuck in narrow blood vessels, blocking oxygen from reaching organs and tissues. Tissue that does not get a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the problems of sickle cell disease. As to this day there is really no cure for Sickle Cell Disease. I choose to topic because there are a number of persons in my family who have Sickle Cell Disease (SCD). From personal experience I knew that the disease could take a toll on

Sickle Cell Anemia is a fatal hereditary illness, in which there is insufficient amount of red blood cells to to carry the right amount of oxygen throughout the body. In the United States people with Sickle Cell Anemia is that of an African Descent or would classify themselves as black.

This paper will discuss Sickle Cell Anemia. It will describe what the disease is as well as how its contracted. The paper will go on to on to discuss the symtoms risk and statistics of sickle cell aniema. The paper will end with discussing treatment for the disease.

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary blood disorder caused by an abnormal hemoglobin in the red blood cell. Hemoglobin is a type of protein that carries oxygen in the body. In order for someone to have sickle cell disease they would need to have been passed down from at each one of their parents, by inheriting a total of two hemoglobin genes. The fact that this is a hereditary disease means that it is not considered to be contagious. This disease comes in about six different forms, but the most severe of them all is sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell is an inherited disease that affects the red blood cells causing debilitating symptoms, however, with treatment people with this disease can quite possibly live an otherwise

The cause of sickle cell anemia is by a mutation gene. The gene tells your body to make hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is responsible for giving the blood its red color and allows the red blood cells to carry oxygen from your lungs to all the parts of your body. The sickle cell gene is passed down from one generation to the next and is inherited. It is called autosomal recessive inheritance. This happens when both the mother and father pass on the detective form of gene. If only one parent passes on the sickle cell gene to the child that means the child will have the sickle cell trait. People who have the sickle cell trait are carriers and can pass the defective gene to their children. Your ethnic background can put you at risk for sickle cell anemia.

Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder in which red blood cells take on an abnormal shape. Sickle cell anemia is when the red blood cells hemolyze, or die. Sickle cell disease is inherited from generation to generation and is the most common in inherited blood disorders. An estimated 70,000-100,000 people in America are currently suffering from this disease, most of which are African Americans. One is diagnosed with sickle cell disease in early childhood generally around four months old when the signs and symptoms are presented. Because of its huge impact, the United States requires all newborns to be tested for this disease. [1] Sickle cell disease is known to affect, “approximately 1 in every 400-500 African American

Hemoglobin is a protein within erythrocytes responsible for binding, carrying, and delivering oxygen throughout the body. These disorders are inherited and therefore not contagious. For an individual to have sickle cell anemia each of their parents must have an abnormal hemoglobin gene and both of these genes must be expressed.

Typically people with Sickle Cell Trait can live a normal life span; however, if anyone has this disorder severe you may contempt of dehydration and high intensity physical activity may lead to serious health issues (Sickle Cell Trait American). As research says people do not have health problems related to Sickle Cell Trait, but under stressful conditions they may have some problems. Conditions Sickle Cell Trait might also lead to low oxygen caused by stenos exercise, high altitudes which is causing a lack of oxygen (Facts about). Sickle Cell Trait is not just some disorder you can look over and never look back on it is the type you have to keep track of to keep up with how sever your case

Sickle Cell Anemia is a group of disorders that cause red blood cells to become misshapen and break down. Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in the United States, affecting 70,000 to 80,000 Americans (Ashley-Koch, Yang and Olney). Sickle Cell Anemia causes your red blood cells to be thin, stiff, and shaped like a sickle. But your red blood cells are supposed to be round and soft. A person that is diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, their blood cells start to become clogged, causing blood clots, which can cause a great amount of health issues including: infections, stroke, and acute chest syndrome. People get sickle cell anemia by inheriting a mutated gene from both of their parents. On the down side, there is not currently an effective cure for sickle cell anemia, there are several different therapeutic approaches to treating and attempting to cure the disease and help people who are affected with sickle cell anemia better manage their symptoms. There have also been several great scientists that dedicated a lot of research to help find a cure for sickle cell anemia.