Anemia is a condition in which a person’s blood does not contain enough red blood cells. Sickle cell disease prevents the normal flow of oxygen to the body. The disease can be in a constant state of anemia and therefore a lack of hemoglobin to move vital oxygen around the body.
Sickle shaped blood cells can cause and even block blood flow throughout the body, causing severe pain and damaging the lungs, kidneys and other organ.
The abnormal sickle cells are destroyed faster than normal shaped red bloods cells, and this causes anemia. In contrasts to a normal red blood cell life of 120 days, sickle cells live only 10 to 12 days.
Due to abnormal shape, these blood cells are fragile and tend to break apart. Sickle cell anemia is caused by an abnormal gene that alters the shape of red blood cells.
It is cause by a very small change in the structure of one protein, Even though the change is very small, the altered protein severely affects how the body functions.
More than 70,000 people in the United States have sickle cell anemia. Health care organizations consider sickle cell anemia to be an international health problem.
Some of the symptoms of sickle cell anemia are:
*Pain in the arms, legs, stomach and back
*Swollen hands and feet
*Sores on the legs that heal very slowly
*Growing more slowly than other kids
*Getting sick more often than other kids
Sickle Cell Anemia
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