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Sickle And The Sickle Cell Disease

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The sickle cell disease affects about 100,000 people in the America. The most common ethnic group the sickle cell anemia is seen in is African Americans and Hispanics. Approximately one in every ten African American and one in every one hundred Hispanic Americans have the sickle cell trait. Approximately two million people have the sickle cell trait in America. Approximately one in five- hundred African Americans and one in one thousand to one thousand and four hundred Hispanic-Americans have sickle cell disease. No universal cure has been found for sickle cell anemia (“Facts About Sickle Cell Trait And Disease,”n.d.). Sickle cell anemia affects many Americans and a universal cure needs to be found. Sickle cell trait is when one person …show more content…

Sickle cell anemia can produce mild to severe symptoms and complications. Anemia symptoms are tiredness, irritability, dizziness, lightheadness, a fast heart rate, difficulty breathing, pale skin color, jaundice, slow growth and delayed puberty. Hand-foot syndrome which is usually the first symptom of sickle cell anemia is the swelling of the hands and feet (“Facts About Sickle Cell Disease,” 2016). The signs and symptoms can vary from person to person and change over time in sickle cell anemia (https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca/signs). Over time sickle cell anemia can worsen. (“Facts About Sickle Cell Disease,” 2016) 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

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