Sickle Cell Disease A Blood Disorder - 1264 Words

Introduction Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder in which red blood cells take on an abnormal shape. Sickle cell anemia is when the red blood cells hemolyze, or die. Sickle cell disease is inherited from generation to generation and is the most common in inherited blood disorders. An estimated 70,000-100,000 people in America are currently suffering from this disease, most of which are African Americans. One is diagnosed with sickle cell disease in early childhood generally around four months old when the signs and symptoms are presented. Because of its huge impact, the United States requires all newborns to be tested for this disease. [1] Sickle cell disease is known to affect, â€Å"approximately 1 in every 400-500 African American†¦show more content†¦[3] Due to the disease needing to have both parents pass the abnormal Hemoglobin S gene, a child has a 25% chance of actually receiving sickle cell disease along with a 25% chance of not having the disease. Even as the parents have more children, the percentage of the disease being inherited does not increase. A couple planning to have a child who want to know whether or not they are carriers can go talk to a genetic specialist and be tested to see if they have the sickle cell gene. [4] Pathophysiology Hemoglobin is a very important protein in our blood that carries oxygen from our lungs to organs and surrounding tissues in our bodies. When hemoglobin has an inaccurate amount of production of beta globin, the normal red blood cells are changed in shape. [4] The cells also contain Hemoglobin S which is not useable within the body. The loss of oxygen and change in shape causes one hemoglobin S cell to connect to another hemoglobin S cell to form into long crystals.[3] Once changed in shape, the newly formed sickle cells are not able to pass through vessels, as normal red blood cells do, and most often result in a blockage within the body. Once a vessel is blocked, oxygen is unable to be supplied to other areas in the body causing hypoxia, or lack of oxygen. This causes an attack known as pain crises in which theShow MoreRelatedSickle Cell Disease : A Blood Disorder1266 Words   |  6 PagesSickle Cell Disease Sickle cell disease is a hereditary blood disorder caused by an abnormal hemoglobin in the red blood cell. Hemoglobin is a type of protein that carries oxygen in the body. In order for someone to have sickle cell disease they would need to have been passed down from at each one of their parents, by inheriting a total of two hemoglobin genes. The fact that this is a hereditary disease means that it is not considered to be contagious. 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