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"Over 100,000 people in the U.S. have Sickle Cell Disease, a disease with no cure. These numbers are majority African Americans"
SCD IS THE MOST COMMON INHERITED BLOOD DISORDER. THAT MEANS IT IS PASSED DOWN THROUGH FAMILIES. RED BLOOD CELLS CONTAIN A MOLECULE CALLED HEMOGLOBIN, WHICH CARRIES OXYGEN THROUGHOUT THE BODY. IN A HEALTHY PERSON, HEMOGLOBIN IS SMOOTH, ROUND, AND FLEXIBLE. THAT ALLOWS RED BLOOD CELLS TO GLIDE EASILY THROUGH YOUR BLOODSTREAM. BUT IF YOU HAVE SCD, THE HEMOGLOBIN’S SHAPE IS ABNORMAL. IT FORMS RODS THAT CLUMP TOGETHER. THAT CAUSES RED BLOOD CELLS TO BECOME RIGID AND CURVED. THE SICKLED CELLS BLOCK BLOOD FLOW TO VITAL ORGANS OF THE BODY. THE LACK OF OXYGEN CAN CAUSE ATTACKS OF SUDDEN EXCRUCIATING PAIN, ANEMIA, AND OTHER SYMPTOMS.
"About 1 in 13 Black or African-American babies is born with
sickle cell trait (SCT)." - CDC
IF A CHILD IS BORN WITH ONE DEFECTIVE HEMOGLOBINBETA GENE, HE MAY BECOME A CARRIER OF THE DISEASE. CARRIERS USUALLY DON’T DEVELOP SCD SYMPTOMS. BUT, THEY CAN PASS THE DISEASE ON TO FUTURE CHILDREN IF THEIR PARTNER ALSO CARRIES THE SICKLE CELL TRAIT. BOTH YOUR PARENTS NEED TO PASS THE ABNORMAL HEMOGLOBIN GENE ON TO YOU IN ORDER FOR YOU TO DEVELOP THE DISEASE. IF BOTH YOUR PARENTS CARRY THE DEFECTIVE GENE, YOU HAVE A 1 IN 4 CHANCE OF INHERITING THE DISEASE AND BECOMING SICK WITH IT.
The Genotypes and Symptoms
TYPES OF SICKLE CELL DISEASE · HEMOGLOBIN SS ALSO CALLED SICKLE CELL ANEMIA (USUALLY THE MOST SEVERE) · HEMOGLOBIN SC (USUALLY MILD) · HEMOGLOBIN SB THALASSEMIA. RARE TYPES ARE · HEMOGLOBIN SD · HEMOGLOBIN SE · HEMOGLOBIN SO.
SYMPTOMS/CHALLENGES INCLUDE: · ANEMIA · EPISODES OF EXCRUCIATING PAIN (KNOWN AS A “CRISES”) · FREQUENT INFECTION · DELAYED GROWTH · ORGAN DAMAGE · BONE/JOINT DAMAGE · STROKE · DEATH