The Sickle Cell Crisis

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

The sickle cell disease affects about 100,000 people in the America. The most common ethnic group the sickle cell anemia is seen in is African Americans and Hispanics. Approximately one in every ten African American and one in every one hundred Hispanic Americans have the sickle cell trait. Approximately two million people have the sickle cell trait in America. Approximately one in five- hundred African Americans and one in one thousand to one thousand and four hundred Hispanic-Americans have sickle cell disease. No universal cure has been found for sickle cell anemia (“Facts About Sickle Cell Trait And Disease,”n.d.). Sickle cell anemia affects many Americans and a universal cure needs to be found.

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Sickle-Cell Anemia is an inherited, chronic blood disease in which the body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells. When the blood cells become crescent/sickle shaped, they are unable to deliver adequate amounts of oxygen to other cells. Also, these unusual “sickle” cells block blood pathways to the limbs and organs, limiting the amount of blood flowing throughout the body. It causes pain, organ damage, and anemia (low blood count). Unfortunately, however, when sufferers are born with this disease, they live life knowing it is incurable.

Sickle -cell anemia is a very important subject to touch on in today’s time because many people honestly do not know what this is. Sickle -cell anemia is a severe hereditary form of anemia in which a mutated form of hemoglobin distorts the red blood cells into a crescent shape at low oxygen levels (SCDAA par .1). Also it is one of the most common diseases in the African American race. There are other races that this particular disease would show up in such as the Hispanics, and people of the South American descent. According to the American Society of Hematology there are a count for 70 ,000 to 100 ,000 African Americans suffering from this disease (American Society of Hematology par .1). Statistics also state that 1 in 12 African Americans even have the sickle cell trait (ASH par .4). By doing simple math, that means that over the course of a year, there are over 1 ,000 babies being born in the United States with that disease. I know if I was shocked by those numbers, there are others out there who would be shocked too. I believe there should be more awareness thrown out there about sickle cell anemia because, it takes 2 parents with the trait to bring a child into this world unknowingly with the full blown disease. Throughout many countries sickle -cell often times gets sucked under the radar, when it really should be front in center because of the severity of this disease. Sickle -cell does not go away in a few days with a little bit of rest or medication, like the

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

I chose to research sickle cell anemia in public health because I wanted to see how a disease can affect its community. I also chose sickle cell anemia because it is a disease very close to me, my whole family has the trait and my two youngest brothers have the disease. More of my family and individuals in Africa are getting sickle cell anemia and I believe it is because they are not tested and or educated about it. Sickle Cell Anemia is diagnosed at birth. It is diagnosed by a simple blood test to see whether the patient was sickle hemoglobin. In the United States, all states make testing mandatory for all newborn babies. This is not the case in African countries. They do not have the funds to do screenings in the first place which is very

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.

Sickle cell anaemia describes a hereditary autosomal recessive disorder that affects a protein found in red blood cells (erythrocytes) called haemoglobin. This disease results in 100% of blood cells becoming sickle shaped. The co-dominant sickle cell disease entails half of the erythrocytes becoming sickle shaped and the remaining half as normal biconvex structures, however, these people are carriers and can pass the disease or anaemia onto their offspring. Prevalence of significant morbidity and mortality of sickle cell disease is clear in Africa, the Mediterranean, India, Central America and the Carribean, with estimates suggesting 250 000 children are born annually with sickle cell anaemia (reference). Haemoglobin ss the autosomal recessive genotype, inherited from both parents, causes the phenotype of sickle cell anaemia. When erythrocytes become rigid and sticky, they cannot flow smoothly through small vessels, consequently, slowing or blocking blood flow and oxygen around the body. This prevents oxygen from reaching vital organs such as the spleen, liver, lugs, heart and kidneys, causing extensive damage as lack of oxygen results in cell death.(1) Sickle cells only live an

Sickle-cell anemia is a genetic disease. People who are affected have two copes of the mutant gene. Normally, if a patient is heterozygous for the sickle-cell gene, they do not display any symptoms of the disease. Sickle-cell anemia is characterized by a deformation of red blood cells that are elongated and resemble sickles. In sickle-cell disease, mutated hemoglobin binds together to form large masses, which give the red blood cells their sickle shape. The hemoglobin found in this disease is referred to as hemoglobin S (Hb S), as opposed to normal adult hemoglobin, hemoglobin A (Hb A).

Sickle Cell Anemia or Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood ailment. Those suffering from Sickle Cell Disease have abnormal S/ sickle hemoglobin in the red blood cells. Hemoglobin is the protein in the blood that aids in carrying oxygen throughout the body. The ailment takes its appellation from the shape of the red blood cells of a person affected by Sickle Cell Disease, which have the shape of a sickle. They are stiff and adhesive rather than a disk like normal cells. The misshapen cells tend to get trapped in the small blood vessels hindering the movement of blood and oxygen to the many areas of one’s body. This causes pain and organ damage. Hemoglobin molecules are comprised of an alpha and a beta. People with Sickle Cell Disease have an aberration occurring on a gene in their chromosomes 11 and 16. ("Sickle Cell Disease.") Chromosome 11 is the “gene that codes for the beta subunit of the hemoglobin protein” ("Sickle Cell Disease.") This causes the particles in the hemoglobin not to manifest accurately.

Sickle cell disease is a severe genetic disorder which generates deformed red blood cells (RBCs). These altered red blood cells can obstruct the blood vessels causing vaso-occlusion complications. The current management of sickle cell disease is symptomatic, with the lack of any specific treatment for vaso-occlusion. Some of the recent studies have suggested the role of pro-inflammatory activity of aged neutrophils and induction of neutrophil extracellular trap (NET) formation. In addition, microbiome has been described to regulate neutrophil ageing via Toll-like receptor and myeloid differentiation factor 88-mediated signaling pathways. In this review, the role of these mechanisms and possible therapeutic opportunities targeting vaso-occlusion will be discussed.

Sickle Cell Anemia or (SCD) is the most common genetic disorder across the entire world it is an inherited genetic condition giving to you by both your mother and father that affects your hemoglobin. There is a mutation in the gene that tells your body to make hemoglobin (a red iron rich compound that gives blood its red color). There are over 600 million hemoglobin molecules in each red blood cell (Brown, M. (2012)). The purpose of hemoglobin is allow red blood cells to carry carbon dioxide, and oxygen from your lungs to all parts of the body. People with sickle cell disease inherit the s gene from abnormal hemoglobin from both parents, you usually find out you have this disease at birth. A blood test is giving to all newborns to look for the s gene known as the sickle cell gene.

I am applying for PhD programs with a focus on health promotion of sickle cell anemia crisis prevention. As an RN, I have worked with a considerable number of pediatric patients who were admitted to the PICU. They were admitted as result of preventable sickle anemia disease complications. Thus, as a future Pediatric Acute Care Nurse Practitioner, I would like to create an evidence based comprehensive bundle of sickle cell anemia complication

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