Sickle Cell Anemia Essays

Sickle Cell Anemia is a disease that affects how oxygen is carried throughout the body by blood. Specifically, sickle cell anemia is characterized by a change in the shape of red blood cells from a smooth donut shape to a crescent or sickled shape. The sickled cells are very long and stiff, so many times

When the sickle cells go through they can block up blood vessels and cause severe pain, fatigue, paleness, rapid heart rate, shortness of breath, and/or yellowing of eyes and skin. This can also start in early childhood and cause you to have a low number of red blood cells. This disorder can affect major organs such as lungs, kidneys, spleen, and brain. Anemia can cause shortness of breath, fatigue and Delayed growth development. The severity of the pain varies from person to person. The pain is usually medium to

Jaundice: If the liver becomes overwhelmed by the breakdown of sickle cells, it can be damaged, causing Jaundice, a yellowing of the skin and eyes.

In order to get Sickle Cell Anemia, you must have the Sickle Cell Trait. This is defined as "A person who carries one sickle hemoglobin producing gene inherited from their parents and one normal hemoglobin gene." (3) People who only have one copy of the mutation have the trait. "It is estimated that 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell trait." (3) Having the trait will NOT cause SCD. However, having the gene does allow you to pass the mutation on to your children. In fact, "A child conceived by two people with sickle cell trait has one chance in two of also having sickle cell trait, one chance in four of having sickle cell anemia."(3)

Sickle Cell Disease is an autosomal recessive genetic disease that occurs due to a mutation in the β-globin gene of hemoglobin. Autosomal meaning that it is not linked to a sex chromosome, so either parent can pass on the gene to their child. This mutation is a result of a single substitution of amino acids, Glutamic for Valine at position 6 of a β globin chain. The presence of this mutation causes

The sickle-shaped red cells interfere with normal blood flow by plugging up small blood vessels. Sickle-cell anemia occurs when an individual inherits a sickle-cell gene from each parent. Programs have been initiated to detect carriers, who do not themselves show the trait; such carriers are informed that a child resulting from the union of two carriers runs a one in four risk of having sickle-cell disease. Therapy for sickle-cell anemia is largely symptomatic. Preventive administration of penicillin to affected children by the age of four months greatly decreases mortality from infections.

In this article, sickle cell anemia is defined as a hereditary disease that destroys red blood cells by causing them take on an elongated and rigid "sickle" shape. In addition, a different type of hemoglobin called Hemoglobin S, is the protein in red blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. This protein starts to wrap around other red blood cells when oxygen is lacking to form a helical shape. Once this happens the cells cluster together and elongate and the cells start to "sickle". A person who has sickle cell anemia can only get it if both of their parents carry the sickle cell trait, if only one parent has the trait then there children are at risk for having the trait.

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).

Sickle cell disease is an ailment that specifically targets red blood cells, causing them to sickle into a cone shape and hinders the transfer of oxygen to other parts of the body. Lack of oxygen can damage tissues and cause major problems for the person affected. As a black male, I am very familiar with sickle cell disease. I have family members with the disease, such as my uncle who was very susceptible to illness as a child due to the disease. I remember him telling me how his body would ache as a child. I also have an ex-girlfriend who had regular pain episodes as well and had to go to the hospital frequently. I am sure plenty of my brothers and sisters of Sub-Saharan African descent either know someone who has sickle cell disease, is a carrier or they have it themselves.

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.

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).

Approximately, two million Americans carry the sickle cell trait. 72,000 people are affected by sickle cell anemia in the U.S., most of whose ancestors had come from sub Saharan Africa, Spanish speaking regions, and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy. In Hispanic American births, one in every thousand people acquire sickle cell anemia. The symptoms created by the blockage of blood flow can vary from patient to patient. Some have milder symptoms than others. Physicians use Hand-foot syndrome on patients to determine the disease. Sickle cells that clog small blood vessels in the hands and feet are one characteristic of the disease. Symptoms the patient suffers are swelling of the hands, feet and various joints. The pain

This disease is a genetic disease and it is hereditary. It is inherited as an autosomal recessive disease. This means that in order to get the gene you must receive a recessive trait from your mother and your father. The parents could both be heterozygous for the trait and therefore not have the disease, but instead they would both be a carrier. There are only a few ways that the parents could possibly pass the trait. One possibility of having a child with sickle-cell disease is if both parents are heterozygous and they both pass on their recessive allele, (25% chance for offspring to have sickle-cell disease). Another possibility

Sickle cell anemia is an anemia that is inherited and mostly affects people whose heritage can be traced back to places where malaria was prevalent. There are approximately 100,000 Americans that have the disease and many more with the trait. Several of my family members are afflicted by this medical condition that causes red blood cells to take on an irregular shape.

Sickle Cell Anemia is a disease that affects how oxygen is carried throughout the body by blood. Specifically, sickle cell anemia is characterized by a change in the shape of red blood cells from a smooth donut shape to a crescent or sickled shape, almost the same shape as a crescent moon. The sickled cells are very long and stiff, so sometimes