Jacquelyn Sayikanmi
Understanding Sickle Cell Disease
Introduction
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
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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.
Prognosis
SCD is an illness that a person will endure for their lifetime. Severity of the disease varies person to person, but most patients will be prescribed daily medications and have regular visits in the
“In the United States, it's estimated that sickle cell anemia affects 70,000–100,000 people, mainly African Americans” (NHLBI, NIH, Who is at risk for sickle cell anemia). SCD is a disease that is a serious disorder in which the body can make normal blood cells and sickle shape cells. Sickle shape cells can block the blood flow in your vessels and cause pain or organ damage also put you in risk for infections. SCD has no cure available but there are many treatments out there to deal with the complications of it. From over years treatments did get better from way back in the day doctors have learned. Sickle cell disease has lack of attention and funding because it’s only affecting
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 a disease that is most prevalent in people of African descent along with people of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern origin. This disease is known to affect about 70, 000 Americans and about 2 million people carry the trait (meaning that, they carry a single gene mutation).
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 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.
The term sickle cell infection (SCD) depicts a gathering of acquired red platelet issue." Normal red blood cells are shaped like discs or donuts. They are soft and flexible so they can easily move through very small blood vessels"(anonymous, 2015).Individuals with SCD have anomalous hemoglobin, called hemoglobin S or sickle hemoglobin, in their red platelets. Hemoglobin is a protein in red platelets that conveys oxygen all through the body. The most well-known sort is known as, sickle-cell frailty (SCA) and there is A few Types of Sickle Cell Sickness: Hemoglobin SS, Hemoglobin SC, Hemoglobin SD. In the Unified States, a great many people with sickle cell illness (SCD) are of African family line or recognize themselves as dark. About1 out of 13 African American children is
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
Normal RBCs are disc shaped in which they are able to easily travel throughout the body, especially through the tiniest blood vessels. However, with sickled shaped RBCs, they clump together while flowing through these particularly small vessels, which causes the loss of oxygen throughout the tissues and organs. This monogenetic disease is caused by a point mutation in the β- globin gene that creates abnormal Hemoglobin S (HbS). There are five different haplotypes for SCD that are classified by their geographical region
According to Conran,N. (2015) ; The term sickle cell disease (SCD) describes a group of inherited Red Blood Cells (RBCs) disorders. People with Sickle cell anemia have abnormal hemoglobin, called hemoglobin S or sickle hemoglobin, in their RBCs.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a hereditary blood disorder that occurs due to an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein hemoglobin found in red blood cells which causes the sickle hemoglobin (HbS) to polymerize and form a sickle or a crescent shape instead of the circular shape of healthy red blood cells (Sickle Cell Disease, George). Ribosomes are responsible for the creation of protein in the body, meaning it is most likely that the ribosomes malfunctioned in the creating of the hemoglobin. A lack of healthy blood cells can lead to lack of oxygen and decreased blood flow throughout the body (Sickle cell anemia, mayoclinic.org). This can cause many different
Sickle Cell disease (SCD) is an inherited blood disorder in which abnormal hemoglobin is produced in red blood cells. The body creates sickle red blood cells, which are crescent shaped instead of the typical round shape. This shape of the sickle cells are stiff, as well as stick and because of this they tend to block blood flow in the blood vessels of the limbs and organs. This blockage will cause pain and organ damage, as well as serious infection. (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute [NHLBI], 2014.). Sickle Cell Disease is also known as sickle cell anemia and Hemoglobin SS Disease.
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 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.
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