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Sickle Cell Anemia Is A Horrible Thing?

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Sickle Cell Anemia is a horrifying, scary disease to have. Sickle cell anemia is a blood disease that is inherited. It comes from substitutions between a single amino acid and a component protein of hemoglobin. Globin, which is the component protein that has the substitution, isn’t effective. When someone has sickle cell, hemoglobin molecules with those component proteins, stick together and make strands of hemoglobin in red blood cells. Cells with that strand end up stiff and long, known as sickle shaped. Also, with sickle cell, those cells die faster than normal red blood cells and they aren’t easy to replace in a fast manner. Anemia within itself is when there is a huge shortage of red blood cells. When you think about the disease and …show more content…

There are signs and symptoms having to do with this disease. It is present when you are first born, if you are said to have it. However, when they are first born with it, they don’t start encountering problems until they are 6 months or around that age. All states in the United States and their territories, and other places are required to screen for the sickle cell disease on all newborns. Symptoms of this varies from child to child. Some may get symptoms earlier than the next. Early symptoms can be swelling of the hands and feet that is painful. That symptom is known as dactylitis. Another early symptom can be jaundice, which is a yellowish color of the skin. Being fatigue and irritated is another symptom detected early. However, even though there are early symptoms at 5 or 6 months after birth, the doctor can’t predict all the symptoms they will have, when they will start and how severe they will be. Some possible symptoms from the disease would be shortness of breath, being weak and looking pale. Another type of pain you could have is, pain in your bones. The pain can last between a few hours and a few weeks. Some teenagers and adults can have chronic pain that comes from joint damage, ulcers, and other things. The swelling and pain they feel in their feet and hands comes from the sickle shaped red blood cells that are blocking blood from flowing to their hands and feet. Also, abdominal pain is a symptom. Mainly

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