Sickle Cell Anemia In Pregnancy

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 crisis is an acute form of sickle cell disease where pain and sickling are extensive (Byar, 2013). SCD is a genetic disease that predominantly affects black people of African decent (Gersten, 2016). Abnormal hemoglobin chains are the main issue with SCD (Byar, 2013). Normal hemoglobin chains are comprised of 99% hemoglobin A (HbA) however, in SCD an abnormal form of the gene, hemoglobin S (HbS) is present in approximately 40% of total hemoglobin (Byar, 2013). In order for a person to be born with SCD, both parents must carry the abnormal gene, HbS (Byar, 2013). HbS is extremely sensitive to the changes in oxygen amount of the RBC and when exposed to decreased oxygen the HbS cause the RBC to distort and become sickle-shaped,

Sickle cell disease (SCD) occurs in 1 out of every 365 African American births compared to 1 out of 16,000 Hispanic-American births (1). SCD is a group of red blood cell disorders in which patients have a sickle or moon-shaped red blood cell due to an abnormal S hemoglobin. While sickle cell disease is relatively rare in American births, this is an alarming statistic among people of Sub-Saharan (west and central) African descent. An interesting fact is that SCD occurs more often among people from parts of the world where malaria is or was common, such as Sub-Saharan Africa (1). In addition, it is believed that people who carry the sickle cell trait are less likely to have

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 anemia (SCA) is an inherited blood disease which causes normal, round, healthy red blood cells to transform into sickle-shaped cells. Normal red blood cells are flexible and can easily pass through capillaries to bring oxygen to different parts of the body. However, sickle cells are fragile, and can easily die, leading to anemia (red blood cell deficiency). SCA can also cause blood vessel occlusion (blockage of blood vessels), tissue infarctions (death due to lack of oxygen), bone, joint, and abdominal pain, yellow eyes and skin, pale skin, delayed growth, increased risk of infections, and damage to organs. The disease is passed on by autosomal recessive inheritance, which means both parents of a child must have the defective gene for the child to be affected. If only one gene is inherited, the victim becomes a carrier of the sickle cell trait, producing only some sickle cells with little or no symptoms. This means two people with the trait have a 25% chance of having a baby with sickle cell disease, 25% chance of them having no defects, and 50% chance of the baby becoming a carrier as well. When the gene is inherited, it mutates the beta (β) globin gene in chromosome 11, changing the hemoglobins produced using instructions from the gene from a healthy hemoglobin A (Hb A) to a mutated hemoglobin S (Hb S). Many tests can be done to check for sickle cell disease, the most common being an ordinary blood test, where the blood is examined for hemoglobin S. If the

The method of transmission of this disease is inherited by both parent who have (SCD) so when they produce a child the child will have 2 sickle cell genes.

Sickle cell disease is categorized as an autosomal recessive disease. That means in order for one to inherit the disease, they must inherit two recessive alleles for sickle cell disease, or hemoglobin S gene. Having only one recessive allele makes you a carrier. The disorder causes the affected person’s red blood cells to disfigure into a crescent or sickle, which differs from the normal red blood cells that shaped into a doughnut. Sometimes, cells in a sickle shape cannot get through the narrow passageways of the blood vessels as easily as normal red blood cells. This blocks blood from entering and oxygen can’t reach the affected person’s organs. It can also crystallize and block arteries and

The past century has seen a significant increase in diversity across the United States. Approximately 36% of the population belongs to an ethnic or racial minority group according to the most recent census information. For the majority of the American population, infant mortality has been reduced and life expectancy has significantly increased. Health indicators such as these show improvement but minorities still continue to experience a disproportionate burden of death, disability, preventable disease, access to care, and treatment options. The disparities become even more pronounced when looking at awareness and treatment for particular diseases that are specific to a minority group. Sickle

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is an inherited autosomal recessive condition that causes the red blood cells (RBCs) to be crescent shaped. Sickle cell disease occurs in 1 out of every 400 African Americans births (Field, et al 2009). And according to the Centers of Disease Prevention and Control (CDC), 1 out of 13 African American babies are born with the sickle cell trait (SCT). At the same time SCD is present in only 1 out of 300 Caucasian babies, thus it is considered to be one of the most prevalent genetic health disparities affecting people of African, Indian, Hispanic, and Mediterranean decent (Kotch, et al 2000).

Sickle cell disease is a hereditary blood disorder most common in the African American community. Many people are carriers of the sickle cell trait, however in order for a person to develop sickle cell disease both parents must have passed on the trait to their child. Sickle cell disease causes a mutation in normal red blood cells resulting in decreased tissue perfusion and organ damage. This causes partial or complete replacement of normal hemoglobin with abnormal shaped sickled cells. An abnormal shaped sickled cell may become lodged to a blood vessel where other cells then bind to it and begin to form a clump. The blood vessels continually attach to each other and result in a blockage of small blood vessels eventually resulting in organ

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherited and noncontagious, lifelong condition. More specifically, per Ohaeri, Shokunbi, Akinlade, & Dare, 1995, SCD is a generic term for a group of genetic disorders characterized by the predominance of sickle cell hemoglobin (Hgb). Hemoglobin is a protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. The disease produces significantly abnormal Hgb molecules in red blood cells (RBCs). In sickle cell anemia, the red blood cells become rigid and sticky and are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These irregularly shaped cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block blood flow and oxygen to parts of the body (Ohaeri, Shokunbi, Akinlade, & Dare, 1995, p. 955.Individuals

Sickle Cell Disease is a genetic disease. If you have the disease, you have a lower life expectancy while you are also given a tremendous amount of pain to endure. The disease is inherited and it also causes a mutated hemoglobin. When you have this disease, instead of your red blood cells being circular like a moon it is much smaller like the shape of a crescent moon. Our red blood cells

300,000 children are born annually in the world with sickle cell, unfortunately they are usually in poor third world countries without the means to handle the epidemic. In countries such as Ghana the percentages of people that carry the trait can be upwards of 30 to 40 percent while in other parts of the continent there can be percentages upwards of 50 percent. The wide range and variation in people that carry it in different parts of the country might be connected to the different levels of malaria exposure, which I explained earlier, it appears that people with sickle cell are immune to malaria which is a bigger killer of humans in that region of the

It was reported that Sammy is the only person in the family to have been diagnosed with SCD. While it is not stated here, even though no other family member has presented with SCD, it can be assumed that both of Sammy’s parents have the sickle cell gene. As stated before, two parents with the sickle cell gene have a 25% chance of having a child with SCD. Sammy’s presentation is that of a six-year-old boy weighing only 64 pounds, despite the fact that he is 14-years-old. His size is directly related to his frequent episodes of sickle cell crisis. During a sickle cell crisis, the body’s ability to provide the tissue with proper oxygen and nutrients is impaired.

This disease is a genetic disease and it is hereditary. It is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease. This means that in order to get the gene you must receive a recessive trait from your mother and your father. The parents could both be heterozygous for the trait and therefore not have the disease, but instead they would both be a carrier. There are only a few ways that the parents could possibly pass the trait. One possibility of having a child with sickle-cell disease is if both parents are heterozygous and they both pass on their recessive allele, (25% chance for offspring to have sickle-cell disease). Another possibility