Sickle+Cell+Disease

Sickle Cell Disease //Facts:// //Causes// //Treatment// //Symptoms// //Occurence//
 * It's common where there is malaria carried by mosquitos
 * The people who have only one mutation (which does not cause the disease) are more resistant to malaria
 * 1 in 375 people have it in Africa
 * Mainly found in South Asia, Arabia, the Mediterranean, and Africa
 * A mutation in beta globin in the blood that causes the behavior and shape of red blood cells to be altered
 * They are sticky, sickled, and stiff and cause a lot of damage to the organs and is very painful
 * Can be passed down from parents to children
 * Instead of the genetic code G-A-G the code is G-T-G which causes the cell to put valine instead of glutamate amino acid into the protein
 * The only available treatment for now is a bone marrow transplant, but it a risky operation
 * Usually successful in children, but sometimes adults' bodies reject the treatment
 * The medicine hydroxyurea is used to reduce or prevent the complications of sickle cell disease
 * Narcotics (a medication that causes numbing and reduced feeling) and transfusions of blood can reduce the pain and could stop some symptoms
 * There is severe pain resulting from the blockage of blood vessels, sometimes even bad enough to cause the person with the disease to be hospitalized
 * There is damage to the spleen, heart, and lung damage and also a risk of stroke
 * It causes anemia (deficiency of hemoglobin found in red blood cells, causing there to be a lack of oxygen in the organs) which leads to tiredness
 * It occurs mainly in South Asia, Africa, the Mediterranean, and Arabia
 * It affects 1 in 375 African Americans
 * 250,000 children are born with it every year