Sickle+Cell


 * Cause:** Sickle Cell Disease is inherited. One has to inherit] two of the sickle genes, one from each parent. Sickle Cell Disease is caused by a mutation in a gene, which controls the structure of the cytoskeleton of the red blood cells. It prevents the blood protein beta globin from functioning, and therefore causing the red blood cells to be a crescent moon shape, or sickled. It causes them to be stiff and sticky as well. When they are sickled, they can stick together in clumps and cause blockages in blood vessels.


 * Symptoms:** The blocked blood vessels can cause severe organ damage and pain. It can lead to spleen, lung, heart damage, and stroke. Fatigue is also a symptom because Sickle Cell Disease can cause anemia.


 * Treatment:** A bone marrow transplant is thought to be the only "cure", but it isn't definite and only works for a small percentage of patients. Hydroxyurea prevents/lessens the effects of Sickle Cell Disease. To lessen the pain from the symptoms of the disease, narcotics and blood tranfusions are an option.


 * Testing and Screening:** Newborns' hemoglobin are screened for disorders, such as Sickle Cell Disease. The screening test diagnoses the infant's hemoglobin type. A newborn with Sickle Cell would have hemoglobin type S instead of the normal type A.


 * Incidence:** Sickle Cell Disease is the most common single gene disorder in African-Americans. The disease is most common around the Africa, South Asia, Mediterranean, and Arabian areas. Statistics: 1 in every 375 African-Americans are affected with this disease. Globally, 250,000 children are born with this disease each year.


 * Facts and Theories:** Sickle Cell is most common in places in the world where mosquito-borne malaria is present. People who carry only one sickle-cell mutation are considered to not have the disease can cope with malaria better than people who have no sickle cell mutations.



Source: http://www.ygyh.org/sickle/whatisit.htm http://www.sicklecelldiseasejax.org/SickleCell.jpg http://www.dukehealth.org/HealthLibrary/AdviceFromDoctors/YourChildsHealth/sicklecelldisease/chart