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Sickle Cell Anemia Is The Most Common Form Of The Disease

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Sickle Cell Anemia is a genetic disorder dealing with the hemoglobin within the red blood cells the individual has hemoglobin S (1). This causes the red blood cell to become gelatinous when deoxygenated (2).
The Sickle Cell gene needs to be inhered from both of the parents; otherwise the individual will only carry the Sickle Cell trait. If the sickle cell trait is carried by an individual they can be asymptomatic. This individual can, however, transfer the gene abnormality to any offspring that they have. Sickle Cell Anemia is the most common form of sickle cell disease. It is also the most severe form of the disease. One variation of sickle cell anemia is hemoglobin SC disease and is one of the more common variations. Many times it manifests with a lesser degree of hemolytic anemia (1).
The term sickle refers to the fact that the red blood cells take on a sickle cell shape, instead of their normal biconcave shape (1). The cells can switch between the sickle shape and their normal biconcave shape (2). Sickled cells lose their pliability making it hard for the red blood cells to move through the smaller blood vessels (1). In their abnormal state they become more likely to adhere to the endothelium of the smaller vessels, causing clots to form and the possibility of stroke (2).
They also have a shortened life span due to the spleen recycling the sickled cells as they pass through. These abnormalities can also cause severe pain and abnormal low levels of oxygen being delivered

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