Sickle Cell Disease Research Paper

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 hereditary disorder that mostly affects people of African ancestry, but also occurs in other ethnic groups, including people who are of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent. More than 70,000 Americans have sickle cell anemia. And about 2 million Americans - and one in 12 African Americans - have sickle cell trait (this means they carry one gene for the disease, but do not have the disease itself).

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

When Malaria is present and infects red blood cells, parasites can infect cells carrying defective hemoglobin which may result in death. Allele frequency changes over time depending on the pressures or circumstances facing a particular population. African populations are especially impacted by both malaria and sickle cell anemia. Depending on the impacted population, allele frequency often shifts and well suited organisms are likely to survive and allele frequencies can increase. When a population is effected by disease or other circumstances, allele frequency may decrease or change. HbA (normal hemoglobin) and HbS (defective hemoglobin) have varying frequencies and while the HbS gene is present in populations it is

Sickle cell anemia affects a wide range of demographics, from young to old. However, there are specific groups of people who are likely more prone to this disease than any other group. This disease affects millions of people worldwide regardless of age, but it is particularly common amongst those who derive from specific regions of the world. Sickle cell anemia is most common in those whose ancestors are derived from the sub-Saharan region of Africa. Furthermore, other regions that are known to have a high number of people containing sickle cell anemia are from Mediterranean countries, the Arabian Peninsula, and Spanish-speaking regions as well ("Who Is at Risk for Sickle Cell Anemia?"). This disease originated from the sub-Saharan region of Africa, and later migrated to other areas through the spreading of other diseases such as malaria. This is due to the fact that sickle cell disease occurs habitually in areas that are prone to diseases such as malaria. Although this disease can affect anyone, the highest cases of sickle cell anemia were found in African-Americans than in any other race. In the United States, sickle cell disease affects about 70,000 to 100,000 Americans ("Who Is at Risk for Sickle Cell Anemia?"). The statistics show that 1 out of every 500 births is affected by sickle cell disease for African-Americans. For the Hispanics, 1 out of every 36,000 births is prone to sickle cell disease ("Who Is at Risk for Sickle Cell Anemia?"). The age ranges for which a

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).

The disease I choose to talk about is Sickle Cell anemia, which is a blood disease that is prevalent among the African American race. This disease is interesting to me because it is a hereditary disease, so it can only be contracted if your parents have the disease. Sickle Cell anemia is caused by abnormal hemoglobin, the red blood cells in your body contain two vital hemoglobin molecules, a protein that carries the oxygen through your blood to travel throughout the body. People with sickle cell anemia, they have two copies of abnormal hemoglobin referred to as hemoglobin S. The molecule is what causes the problems within the red blood cells, rendering them unable to properly complete the process of carrying oxygen where it needs to go.

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 trait is the heterozygous state of the sickle cell gene, also called sickle hemoglobin (HbS) (DynaMed, 2015). The sickle hemoglobin (HbS) is an abnormal hemoglobin resulted from an atypical mutation of a normal hemoglobin. Heterozygous individuals are carriers of the sickle cell trait, and they are usually asymptomatic (DynaMed, 2015). There are no interventions or referral indicated for infants. The risk factors for sickle cell gene include ancestry from Africa, Caribbean, Central and South America, India, Mediterranean, and the Middle East (DynaMed, 2015). Although Sickle cell trait is a benign condition, studies have found that under extreme conditions such as severe

Thousands of years ago, a genetic mutation occurred in people from the Mediterranean basin, India, Africa, and the Middle East. As the Malaria Epidemic attacked people of these countries, carriers of the defective hemoglobin gene survived. Carrying one defective gene means that a person has a sickle cell trait. Two parents with the trait will produce a child with sickle cell anemia. People of these countries migrated and spread to other areas. In the Western Hemisphere, where malaria is not much of a problem, having the abnormal hemoglobin gene has lost its advantage. Any child born from parents that each has the trait will be born with the disease.

Sickle cell anemia is an anemia that is inherited and mostly affects people whose heritage can be traced back to places where malaria was prevalent. There are approximately 100,000 Americans that have the disease and many more with the trait. Several of my family members are afflicted by this medical condition that causes red blood cells to take on an irregular shape.

Sickle cell disease is a group of diseases in which the affected individual has at least one copy of hemoglobin S (HbS). Sickle cell anemia is a type of sickle cell disease in which the patient inherits 2 copies of hemoglobin S (genotype HbSS). There are other examples of sickle cell disease; they include- HbAS, HbSC, and HbS beta thalassemia (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute). The focus of this article would be on Sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is seen predominantly among Africans but is also seen in people of Mediterranean origin and the Middle East. It occurs in approximately 1:500 African American births and 1:36,000 Hispanic American births. About 2 million people in the United States have acquired the sickle cell trait (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). The disease is caused by a point mutation in position 6 of the beta subunit of the hemoglobin gene which results in substitution of the amino acid valine in place of glutamic acid. There is a single nucleotide substitution (A to T) in the codon for amino acid 6. The change converts a glutamic acid codon (GAG) to a valine codon (GTG) (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute).

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that sickle cell anemia is very prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa, where Kenya belongs. In Kenya, the western and Nyanza regions are the most affected. Since it’s a genetic condition, intermarriages

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) sickle shaped red blood cells are abnormal in size and function; compared to the Thalassemias red blood cells appear normal in appearance but there are not enough of them being produced for the body to sustain homeostasis. The two diseases have basic similarities within their diagnosis and treatments. They differ in the way of which, SCD complications exceed Thalassemias, with Thalassemias epidemiology reaching more ethnic backgrounds and numbers affected over a greater geographical area.

Sickle cell disease is a curse or a blessing, the disease is most common among African Americans. The rate of this disease is more frequent in Africa than here in the U.S. The reason for this is because sickle cell is immune from another disease called malaria, a mosquito-borne disease cause by a parasite. Sickle cell causes red blood cells to change and become a croissant-shaped, it occurs when inherited by two sickle cell gene, one from each parent. The major problem of sickle cell is hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries out oxygen. Hemoglobin with bound carbon dioxide and hydrogen ions is carried in the blood back to the lungs, where it releases the hydrogen ions and carbon dioxide and rebinds oxygen. (2002,