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- What is it?
- Sickle cell anemia is a serious condition in which the red blood cells can become sickle-shaped (that is, shaped like a “C”).
- Normal red blood cells are smooth and round like a doughnut without a hole. They move easily through blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. Sickle-shaped cells don’t move easily through blood. They’re stiff and sticky and tend to form clumps and get stuck in blood vessels.
- The clumps of sickle cells block blood flow in the blood vessels that lead to the limbs and organs. Blocked blood vessels can cause pain, serious infections, and organ damage.
- Symptoms?
- Episodes of pain.
- Hand-foot syndrome. Swollen hands and feet are often the first signs of sickle cell anemia in babies. The swelling is caused by sickle-shaped red blood cells blocking blood flow out of the hands and feet.
- Jaundice
- Frequent infections
- Vision problems
- Treatment?
- One method for treating sickle cell anemia is to reduce the concentration of defective hemoglobin by stimulating the body to make other kinds of hemoglobin.
- Since the pain of sickle cell anemia comes from blood vessels being blocked off, another method of treatment would be to get more oxygen to the painful areas.
- Sickled red blood cells could also be made less "sticky" and thus less likely to block off blood vessels.
- Prevention?
- There is no way to prevent sickle cell anemia, although gene therapy may be possible in the future. If sickle cell anemia or sickle cell trait runs in your family, you and your spouse may wish to speak with a genetic counselor about your chances of passing a gene for sickle cell hemoglobin to your children.
- Who’s Affected by it?
- Sickle cell anemia affects millions of people worldwide. It’s most common in people whose families come from Africa, South or Central America (especially Panama), Caribbean islands, Mediterranean countries (such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy), India, and Saudi Arabia.
- In the United States, sickle cell anemia affects about 70,000 people. It mainly affects African Americans, with the condition occurring in about 1 in every 500 African American births. Hispanic Americans also are affected; the condition occurs in 1 out of every 1,000 to 1,400 Hispanic American births.
- About 2 million Americans have sickle cell trait. About 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell trait
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