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Sickle-Cell Disease
Sickle-cell disease is a genetic blood disorder wherein the red blood cells are irregularly shaped due to the blood’s lowered oxygen tension. This irregularity may result in chronic anemia, serious infections, painful conditions, damage to organs and death.
538 Questions
What occurs in hemolytic anemia?
so many red cells are destroyed that most of the available haptoglobin is needed to bind the released hemoglobin. The more severe the hemolysis, the less haptoglobin remains in the blood.
Can impaired red blood cell production cause anemia?
Yes. Anemia can arise from lack of red blood cell production, hemaglobin, iron or another requirement for carrying oxygen in the blood.
Individuals with malaria have a better chance of surviving if they have which type of anemia?
Sickle-cell anemia
Is sickle cell anemia and cystic fibrosis caused by recessive alleles?
im not really sure, but i think it is.
Top 10 questions asked about sickle cell?
What is sickle cell disease?
Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder that affects red blood cells. People with sickle cell disease have red blood cells that become hard and pointed instead of soft and round. Sickle cells cause anemia, pain and many other problems.
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2) What is sickle cell trait?
If you have sickle cell trait, you have inherited the gene for sickle cell disease. Sickle cell trait does not turn into sickle cell disease. If someone has sickle cell trait and his partner has sickle cell trait they may produce a child with sickle cell disease. There are about 2.5 million people in America with sickle cell trait.
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3) If sickle cell trait is not an illness, why are people tested?
Babies are tested to see if they have sickle cell disease. Teens and adults are tested mainly to see if they can have a baby with the disease.
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4) What medical problems are caused by sickle cell disease?
Lung tissue damage, pain episodes and stroke. The blockage of blood flow caused by sickled cells also causes damage to most organs including the spleen, kidneys and liver.
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5) How many people have sickle cell disease?
Sickle cell disease is a global health problem. In the United States it is estimated that over 70,000 people have sickle cell disease. About 1,000 babies are born with the disease each year in America.
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6) How long does a person with sickle cell disease live?
The average life expectancy in America has improved. It is now in the mid 40 years of age range.
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7) Are people of African descent the only group affected?
No. It is also present in Portuguese, Spanish, French Corsicans, Sardinians, Sicilians, mainland Italians, Greeks, Turks and Cypriots. Sickle cell disease also appears in Middle Eastern countries and Asia.
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8) Is there a cure?
There is no universal cure for sickle cell disease. Research in gene therapy, the ultimate universal cure, is currently underway.
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9) What are some promising treatment developments?
The use of hydroxyurea has shown promising results on some adult sickle cell patients. It reduces the frequency of severe pain, acute chest syndrome and the need for blood transfusions.
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10) Can people with sickle cell disease live a productive life?
Yes. But like all patients with chronic disease, sickle cell patients are best managed in a comprehensive multi-disciplinary program of care and a strong extended support system.
You want to have a child but you have sickle cell anemia?
You should look into DNA grafting, or something along those lines. Which has been used to cure many diseases.People are constantly finding answers to gene combinations that cause diseases, and which one's are not mutations, then taking fluids, removing one and replacing it with the proper one. It doesn't always work and is done before birth I think...I'm not sure if they've found the cure to this particular disease, but depending on if it's hetero or homozygous, you could take your chances.It occurs more often in males for some bizarre reason. Or you could always adopt, but youre probably looking for blood relation.
a possible way it can kill you is from a simple blood clot. If the sickle shaped blood cells that formed into clumps stick to the walls of the blood vessels, blood flow will be blocked and the lack of blood circulation can cause a blood clot. If that blood clot so happens to follow the blood stream into your heart... YOU WILL DIE.
Difference between thalassemia and sickle cell anemia?
Thalassemia is a genetic disorder as a result of an imbalance in the hemoglobin. In sickle cell, also a genetic disorder, the mutation cause a crescent shaped molecule.
Why do people with malaria or sickle cell anemia have enlarged spleens?
The spleen is the body's reservoir for blood and also plays a role in red blood cell development. When a person has either malaria or sickle cell anemia the body tries to make more blood available, so the extra amount is stored in the spleen.
What is an example of sickle cell?
A Sickle Cell is a type of Red Blood Cell (RBC) seen in the Sickle Cell Disease. This disease has an abnormal Hemoglobin molecule, termed Hemoglobin S. This is due to a point mutation in the Beta-Globin Gene on chromosome 11. The disease itself is homozygous and recessive so one can have the trait and not have the disease if one of the parents have it. The patients with this disease have lifelong hemolytic anemia and increased susceptibility to infections.
As for how the cells came to be called Sickle Cells, one has to understand the molecular structure of the Globin (protein) portion of Hemoglobin. In this disease, a polar amino acid (Glutamate) is replaced by a non polar amino acid (Valine) in the Globin molecule, thus reducing its overall charge. This also causes a protrusion in the Hemoglobin surface that more or less fits a pocket like structure in another Hemoglobin molecule in the cell. During low oxygen tension, the hemoglobin molecules polymerize, or get attached to one another forming a network of mis-shaped, stiff and distorted cells. These cells are called Sickle Cells.
