What is Sickle Cell Disease?

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder. Instead of the cells having a circle shape, it a C shape. They block blood and oxygen flow in your blood vessels. They also break down more rapidly than regular red blood cells.

What causes sickle cell disease?

People that have sickle cell disease are born with it. They get one sickle gene from their mom and one from their dad. If their is one hemoglobin gene and one sickle cell gene are inherited, then the person will have the sickle cell trait. People who have the sickle cell trait will not develop the disease bu they are carriers which means that they will pass on the gene to their children.

Symptoms

The general symptoms that infants get are fever, swelling of hands and feet, pain in chest,abdomen, limbs, and joints, and nosebleeds and frequent upper respiratory infections.

Children get fatigue and shortage of breath, irritability, and jaundice.

Teenagers get delayed puberty, severe joint pain, progressive anemia, leg sores, gum disease, and leg problems.

Cure

One way to cure sickle cell disease is to have a bone marrow transplant which will allow you to take someone else's blood and have it put in your body to get rid of all of the sickle cells. If you don't get cured from sickle cell disease than you will eventually die. One way that you could die from sickle cell disease is from a stroke or a heart attack.

http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/sickle-cell-disease