Sickle Cells: Description, Risk Factors, and Lifestyle

Sickle cell anemia occurs when a person inherits two abnormal genes (one from each parent) that cause their red blood cells to change shape. Instead of being flexible and round, these cells are more rigid and curved in the shape of the farm tool known as a sickle - that's where the disease gets its name. The shape

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

Sickle cell anemia (SCA) is an autosomal recessive genetic disorder. This missense mutation is characterized by mutant beta globin subunits that tend to stick together (Cummings, 2014). As a result, abnormally shaped red blood cells are produced by this disorder. The erythrocytes are sickle or crescent shaped. Sickling occurs under hypoxic conditions, in which there is insufficient supply of oxygen delivered throughout the body (Sun & Xia, 2013). In order to inherit this monogenic disease, one copy of the sickle globin gene from each parent must be passed on to the offspring (Ashley-Koch,

Sickle Cell Disease, also referred to as SCD, is a genetically inherited disease that causes abnormal hemoglobin, called hemoglobin S or sickle hemoglobin, in red blood cells. This disease currently affects about 90,000-100,000 Americans, a majority being African-American. Because SCD is genetically inherited, it is not contagious. It is inherited when both parents of a child carry the sickle cell trait, also called SCT. SCT and SCD are not the same. In SCT, the person is generally healthy and does not endure what one with SCD does, they are simply a “carrier” of the sickle cell trait. SCD cannot be inherited if only one parent is a carrier. If both parents are carriers of the sickle cell trait, the child still only has a 25% chance of being born with sickle cell. They have a 50% chance of being born with a single trait, making them a carrier, and a 25% chance of being born with normal hemoglobin. About 1 in 13 African-American babies are born as a carrier and 1 in 365 are born with the disease.

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Sickle Cell Anemia or Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) is a passed down blood disorder that attacks and destroys the red blood cells. This Disease was first discovered back in 1910. The disease was first described as a clinical entity by Herrick1 in 1910 (Anderson & Ware 1932). Sickle cell sickness is brought about by a change in the hemoglobin-Beta quality found on chromosome 11. Hemoglobin transports oxygen from the lungs to different parts of the body. Red platelets with typical (hemoglobin-An) are smooth and round and coast through veins. Typical red platelets are round like doughnuts, and they travel through little blood tubes in the body to convey oxygen. Sickle red platelets turn out to be hard, sticky and molded like sickles used to cut wheat. At times these blood cells can become crescent shaped and have a hard time passing through small blood vessels, this keeps red blood cells and the oxygen they carry from getting to all parts of the body. This causes less blood to reach the body at this point the tissues that have not received a normal blood flow will become damaged. Individuals who have sickle cell

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

Normal red blood cells are shaped like discs and look like donuts with no hole in the middle. They are rich in hemoglobin and carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body. Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which the red blood cells become sickle shaped, or shaped like a crescent. Sickle cells also become sticky and tend to block the blood flow to the limbs and organs (“What is Sickle Cell Anemia?”). People who have sickle cell trait (SCT) do not have the disease, but instead are carriers of it. Most people who have SCT live their lives completely symptom free, however there are some complications that are associated with sickle cell trait. People who have the trait must be careful when they are completing strenuous exercise and when dehydrated. These cases, in extreme form, can lead to complications of sickle cell disease, and even death (“What You Should Know About the Sickle Cell Trait”).

Sickle cell disease is a genetic condition that causes a mutation in the hemoglobin molecule. Normal red blood cells are round and flexible. In a person with sickle cell anemia the blood cells are stiff and sticky. This causes the cells to be misshapen and can become stuck within blood vessels. The disease process also causes a lack of healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body (Porth, 2015). Acute chest syndrome is a type of pneumonia caused by these sickled cells blocking blood vessels in the lungs. The syndrome can cause chronic respiratory insufficiency and is a leading cause of death in sickle cell disease (Porth, 2015).

The Genetics Home Reference writes that sickle cell disease affects the body’s blood, in particular the red blood cells. The hemoglobin in an afflicted person is abnormal and can warp the shape of the red blood cells into a the shape of a sickle. Results of the odd-shaped red blood cells is them getting caught in blood vessels or breaking down too early, often causing anemia (an insubstantial amount of red blood cells) to occur. Because of these blockages, tissues and organs can be deprived of their blood supply. This can cause damage to them and the most commonly affected organs are the brain, spleen, lungs, and kidneys. Typically sickle cell disease symptoms start to appear in early childhood. Common symptoms are frequent infections and painful

It is well known that there are many diseases that happen between people. Some of these diseases are contagious diseases that spread quickly among people. On the other hand, there is a genetic disease that human acquires from his parents. An example of genetic disease is sickle cell disease. The sickle cell disease (SCD) is a disorder that affects the hemoglobin in red blood cell. It is called sickle because the red blood cell under the microscope takes a form of a curved such as a crescent or a sickle shape. The SCD is not contagious, but it is considered as a genetic disease, so it is not like a cold or infection that can catch it. When the SCD infects human, it causes an abnormal form of hemoglobin, which is the oxygen-carrying protein in red blood cell, and this hemoglobin called S or sickle hemoglobin. Moreover, the disease is called sickle

Sickle cell anaemia (SCA) is a class of transformation disorder in the β globin gene, which leads to the development of insoluble, sickle shaped red blood cells (RBC). The red blood cell (RBC) consists of two α globin chains and two β globin chains, forming the oxygen carrying molecule haemoglobin. Upon being oxygenated, the three-dimensional structure of sickle RBC is said to be normal but abnormal when it becomes deoxygenated. This is because the β sickle globin polymerised more than normal β globin during deoxygenating process. Thus RBC tends to shape itself into a crescent resulting in the slowness of the blood flow, which can cause the organs to be damaged, vaso-occlusive crises and stroke. Sickle RBC have a short lifespan than normal

Skin pigmentation is affected by the way that bodies absorb vitamin D from cholesterol. When a person is in the sun a lot, his or her body is exposed to ultraviolet B light; this is known to convert the sunlight into cholesterol, which then converts into vitamin D (Moalem 51). As a result, the amount of sun exposure that one gets can begin to make him or her a darker color; however, they are the ones who have a healthy level of cholesterol in their bodies. Hence, the darker skin is a compromise in order for humans to have a sufficient cholesterol level. Furthermore, a human's folate levels are also related to the skin pigmentation in their bodies. Folate is an integral part that allows the cells to synthesize in preparation for meiosis. Those

Sickle Cell Anaemia is the commonest of most severe form of Sickle Cell Disease. SCD is a collective term for hereditary haemoglobinopathies caused by the inheritance of a mutated haemoglobin allele (sickle haemoglobin-HbS) in the erythrocytes. The HbS mutation is caused by a Valine to Glutamic acid substitution at the 6th amino acid of the β-globin chain. (Harmon et al., 2012)The first known case of SCD in the western world was recorded in 1910 in the United States, when a 20 year old black student from Grenada presented abnormal erythrocytes upon examination of his blood. This can now be recognised as the major characteristic of SCD where the erythrocytes assume the shape of a sickle when deprived of oxygen in vivo hence the name of the disease. Although SCD is most prevalent in individuals of African ancestry, the disease is also existent in people from Meditterenean Europe,Hispanic, Midle Eastern and Indian Asian backgrounds. The explanation of the regional specificity of SCD is the correlation between the geographical locations where Falciparum Malaria was once endemic and high incidents of Haemoglobin S mutations in those particular regions. However, the occurrence of SCD disease in regions that have no known history of Falcipurum Malaria can be attributed to migration. In Britain for example, the first incidents of SCD were recorded after the postwar immigration of the non-white population

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.