“Hereditary Spherocytosis is a condition that is passed down from parent to child and it affects the red blood cells and the spleen” (Genetics Home Reference). The job of the spleen in a healthy human body is to clean the blood of bacteria. Spherocytosis causes the red blood cells to change shape, therefore making it difficult to move through the spleen (Wint). “When a person has HS, the red blood cells have a fragile membrane. At first, the red blood cells have a normal shape. However over time little pieces of their membranes are removed when the cells pass through the spleen. The shape becomes rounder like a sphere” (Seattle Children's hospital research foundation).
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
The impeded blood flow also causes swelling of the patient 's hands and feet. In addition, the abnormal shaped red blood cells cause damage to the spleen, an organ that helps fight against infection (4). Subsequently, patients are more susceptible to contracting infections that require antibiotics and/or vaccinations. As mentioned earlier, red blood cells are produced in the long bones of the human body. The long bones are the bones that contribute most to height; because the red blood cells are impaired, long bone growth is impaired and thus affects overall growth (4). Furthermore, some patients report vision problems as a symptom. Small blood vessels supply the eyes with blood and oxygen, because blood flow is impeded to small blood vessels, vision is impaired (4). If a person experiences these symptoms, they may be diagnosed with SCD. A blood test can be performed to confirm whether or not a person has SCD. A blood test can detect hemoglobin S, the form of hemoglobin that is attributed to sickle cell anemia (4). This type is test is usually performed as a part of newborn screening and similar tests may be performed in older children and adults.
Sickle cell: One of the first inherited diseases to be unraveled at the level of DNA was sickle-cell anemia which is defined as abnormal, crescent-shaped red blood cells that results from a single change in the amino acid sequence of the cell's hemoglobin, which causes the cell to contort, especially under low-oxygen conditions. (medical dictionary, 2017) Also, called drepanocyte, meniscocyte. Also, this blood disorder mostly affects Africans and natives of the Mediterranean region are those who are affected by malaria. A single mutation in the gene for the blood protein hemoglobin can affect its ability to transport oxygen around the body. People who inherit two copies of the same mutation, one from each parent, have severe symptoms.
In a person that suffers from sickle cell disease, the red blood cells take on a crescent shape as they move through the body and lose oxygen. These sickled cells get stuck together in the small blood vessels and cause clots that can end up damaging organs. When
spleen is a place for immune function, and it kills defective or aged red blood
Among human beings, Sickle-Cell Anemia is a particularly well-studied example of adaptation. This chapter teaches me that Sickle-Cell Anemia is a painful disease in which oxygen-carrying red blood cells change shape and clog the finest parts of the circulatory system (page 57). Sickle- Cell changes their shape from the usual discs to shrunken sickle shapes. These sickle shaped red blood cell gives the disease its name. This type of disease is caused by a genetic mutation in a single base of the hemoglobin genes (page 58). It is considered that this disease is the result of when two abnormal Hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that passed down from parents to child as an autosomal recessive pattern. I don't not know anyone personally with
Sickle cell disease is a chronic condition that a person can inherit from their parents in which it effects the globular structure of the patients red blood cells. A more sickle shaped structure, which can alter a person’s blood flow, replaces the more common globular structure. This impairment in blood flow can lead to blood clots, severe debilitating pain and damage to vital organs such as the liver, kidney and spleen. This disease currently affects over 90,000 people in the United States, with the majority of them being African American and
The probability of inheriting a disease is not random. There are several factors that determine the chances on inheriting a disease such as race, gender, genetics, etc. A person of Caucasian decent is more likely to develop cystic fibrosis, an Asian person has a higher chance of inheriting Kawasaki disease and there is a very high rate of Sickle Cell Anemia among people of African lineage. Sickle Cell disease is inherited and it affects the anatomy of the red blood cells, resulting in a sickle shape which then affects the functions of red blood cells causing a blood disorder. Sickle Cell is a recessive disease and persons affected have both copies of the hemoglobin S gene. This genetic defect causes red blood cells to become sickle-shaped (cresent shape). The abnormal shape severely impede the ability of red blood cells to pass through small blood vessels. This impediment caused by the sickle-shaped red blood cells decreases the flow of blood to parts of the body. This reduced blood flow to tissues causes hypoxia and subsequently leads to tissue damage. This alteration in the function of red blood cells is what leads to the complications of sickle cell disease. There are various types of sickle cell disease. The most common types of sickle cell disease are Sickle Cell Anemia (SS), Sickle-Hemoglobin C Disease (SC), Sickle Beta-Plus Thalassemia and Sickle Beta-Zero Thalassemia. Often conflated with sickle cell disease is "Sickle Cell Trait". Sickle cell trait means that a
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,
The three diseases or disorders the spleen may receive are splenomegaly, ruptured spleen, and sickle cell. Splenomegaly, which is the enlarging of the spleen and which is usually caused by virus-related mononucleosis, liver disease, and blood cancers such as, leukemia or even other conditions. Ruptured spleen causes life threatening, perpetual bleeding. It can rupture immediately after an injury or even or even days or weeks after the injury occurred. Sickle cell disease is originally from anemia, which is the abnormality of red cells blocking the flow of blood throw vessels and which may lead to organ damages. If you are anyone with sickle cell you will need to get immunizations, or a vaccine to help prevent illnesses that the spleen is helping to fight off. A treatment available for splenectomy is having the spleen removed by a surgical procedure. During this procedure you may either use laparoscopy, which is when you get several small cuts or, laparotomy when getting one large cut. The human
The sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell have red blood cells that have mostly hemoglobin's, Sometimes these red blood cells become sickle-shaped or crescent shaped and have trouble going through small blood vessels. When sickle-shaped cells block small blood vessels, less blood can get to that part of the body. Tissue that does not get a normal blood flow eventually becomes damaged. This is what causes the problems of sickle cell disease.
Normal red blood cells are round. In sickle cell anemia, some red blood cells become deformed, so they look like sickles used to cut wheat. These unusually shaped cells give the Disease its name. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited form of anemia — a condition in which there aren't enough healthy red blood cells to carry adequate oxygen throughout your body. Normally, your red blood cells are flexible and round, moving easily through your blood vessels. 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. There's no cure for most people with sickle
People with sickle cell disease are at an increased risk for life threatening infections. The spleen is an organ that serves as a filter to help remove bacteria from the bloodstream and also helps produce some white blood cells. Sickle cell shaped red blood cells can damage the spleen early in life. The damaged spleen is no longer able to filter bacteria out of the bloodstream. As a result, bacteria can travel through the bloodstream and in a few hours, cause an overwhelming infection. These infections can cause shock and even death. Every time a sickle cell patient has a fever it is considered an emergency it is important to treat the fever and start
Sickle-cell disease majorly affects the hemoglobin that is present in our blood. The job of hemoglobin is to help transport oxygen and carbon dioxide to and from the cells throughout our body. Hemoglobin is present specifically in our red blood cells. Each red blood cell contains two hundred and eighty million hemoglobin molecules. Red blood cells normal shape is a biconcave shape because of the lack of many organelles and a nucleus. The shape is so important to a red blood cells functioning that if it is not shaped normally it has major consequences. The shape helps them to fit through capillaries easier and also allows for an increased surface area which results in easier gas exchange. Sickle-cell disease is a genetic disease that causes issues in the oxygen/carbon dioxide carrying hemoglobin molecules that are present in our red blood cells.
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.