Understanding Sickle Cell Anemia

When I was growing up, I developed school girl crushes and love relationships based on how good the boy looked. Nothing else seemed to matter: not his intelligence, family background, or his red blood cells. Wait a minute. What do red blood cells have to do with choosing a potential mate? Everything, especially if he, like me, has sickle cell trait. This article showcases questions and answers about a disease of which I am a carrier: sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell disease is a global health problem. Over 70,000 people in the U.S. have sickle cell disease. Each year, approximately 1,000 babies in America are born with sickle cell anemia.

What is sickle cell anemia?

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited blood disease in which some red blood cells are sickle shaped and not round. These mutated cells are called hemoglobin S. Normal red blood cells are hemoglobin A. Because of their shape, as red blood cells flow throughout the body, sickle shaped cells have difficulty moving through smaller blood vessels. At certain points during the trip the blood takes delivering oxygen to tissue and vital organs, sickle shaped cells become sticky. They begin to clump together inside small blood vessels. They stick to normal blood cells as well. Pain and organ and tissue damage happens when proper oxygenation is blocked by the mutated blood cells that have stopped the flow of oxygen Normal blood cells have a 120 day window of life. Sickle shaped blood cells only live for 12 days.

What are the symptoms of sickle cell anemia?

In newborn babies, symptoms can include swollen hands and feet. The disease causes fatigue, shortness of breath, infections, destruction of bone marrow, kidney damage, impotence in men, jaundice and chest problems. Impaired blood flow to the brain can cause stroke. It is possible for a person with sickle cell anemia to not have any symptoms until they are grown.

Who is affected by sickle cell?

Sickle cell anemia mostly affects people of sub-Saharan Africa, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Indian descent. In the United States, African Americans and people of Hispanic descent are affected more by the disease than people of other races.

How do you get sickle cell anemia?

Sickle cells are produced by mutated hemoglobin. This gene mutation is inherited from both parents who pass on the mutated hemoglobin properties to their offspring. Neither parent may have sickle cell anemia. If one parent has at least one normal gene and one mutated gene, they can live normal lives. They have what is called sickle cell trait. They are carriers, which means, if they have children with someone else who has sickle cell trait, there's a one in four chance that their child will be born with sickle cell anemia.

What is the best way to prevent sickle cell anemia?

While it is not always possible to pre-determine who and who not to have children with, it is possible to know your own standing. People of African, Middle Eastern, Mediterranean and Indian descent should get blood tests as early as possible to detect sickle cell trait. Doctor's offices conduct blood tests to determine many things about their patients, including hemoglobin type. Free blood screenings are conducted in health centers. People who are sexually active should know if they are carriers for sickle cell anemia. It may be a mood buster, but discuss this with your partner before the possibility of a pregnancy happens.

What is the average life span of someone with sickle cell anemia?

Life expectancy has increased over the past 30 years. Men with sickle cell anemia have a life expectancy of 42 years; women, 48. Many people today who are receiving treatment live past the age of 50. Life expectancy is not based on the presence of the inherited mutated hemoglobin, but on complications and infections that occur due to the sickle cells preventing blood flow to vital organs and tissue.

What are the treatments for people who have sickle cell anemia?

To begin with, early detection is the best treatment for someone with sickle cell anemia. Conventional treatments include drugs, blood transfusion, bone marrow transplantation and gene replacement. Alternative methods are massage, acupuncture, pain diaries, and food. Yes food. People with sickle cell anemia who eat bamboo shoots, horseradish, cassava, yams, sweet potatoes, corn and lima beans produce a type of hemoglobin that helps red blood cells to move right along and carry oxygen throughout the body. It is impossible to know which course sickle cell anemia will take in the body based on hereditary factors.

Sources:
The Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine . Ed. Jacqueline L. Longe. Vol. 4. 2^nd ed. Detroit: Gale, 2005. p1852-1858

http://www.sicklecelldisease.org