Sickle Cell Anemia is the most severe form of Sickle Cell Disease. Other Sickle Cell Diseases are: Sickle Cell Thalassemia (Cooley's Anemia), Sickle Cell C Disease, Sickle Cell D Disease, and any other abnormal hemoglobin combined with sickle hemoglobin. beta chains bind with other beta chains in red blood cell (RBC) when deoxygenated; polymerization occurs; Hb polymers distort RBC into sickled shapes: vaso-occlusion

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.

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.

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.

Sickle Cell Anemia is clearly manifested at an early age. The child becomes pale, tires easily, eats poorly, may have swelling of the hands and feet, slow growth, pain in arms, legs, back and abdomen.

The sickled red blood cells have a shorter life span than normal red blood cells and are easy to break, thereby causing the blood count to be lower than normal (anemia). The body cannot make new cells fast enough to keep up with the destruction. Therefore, the blood count remains below normal throughout life.

No cure has been found yet, but scientists are working to find a cure. Research and education are among top priorities in sickle cell programs funded through the National Heart and Lung Institute.

Infections are treated with antibiotics at the earliest moment, particularly in children. Drinking an adequate amount of fluids is encouraged at all times. Blood transfusions and exchange transfusions are sometimes needed. The treatment varies depending upon the organs involved and the nature of the complication. You must consult your physician for physical checkups and follow up care. Sickle Cell Anemia cannot be corrected with iron medication or foods containing iron.

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.

Try to maintain good health by eating a well balanced diet, and getting enough rest. Avoid stress such as colds and fatigue. Be careful to prevent infections from cuts and bruises. Special attention to skin care and overall personal hygiene is a must.

Your health professional can diagnose sickle cell disease through the results of blood tests that look for the presence of sickle cell hemoglobin. Some states have screening programs for newborns. Results of a simple blood test before infants go home from the hospital show whether or not the disease is present. Diagnosis can also occur before birth when the child is still in the womb.1

Answer: Hydroxyurea therapy for pediatric sickle cell patients is in transitionzone between "experimental therapy" and "commonly accepted therapy." In comparison to adult sickle cell patients, the number of pediatric patients treated with hydroxyurea has been small. More teenagers have been treated with hydroxyurea than younger children.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited blood disorder that turns normal, round blood cells into misshaped cells that look like sickles or crescent moons. These sickled cells can get stuck in blood vessels, blocking blood flow and causing severe pain as well as damage to organs, muscles, and bones. See illustrations of hemoglobin function in a normal red blood cell and of a sickled red blood cell .

Sickle cell disease, a group of blood disorders, is inherited, passed from parent to child. Children with sickle cell disease have two defective genes, one from each parent. A child born with sickle cell trait inherited one defective gene from one parent, and a normal gene from the other parent. These children don't have sickle cell disease but are carriers of the defective gene and may pass it on to their children.

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.

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder. More specifically, sickle cell disease is an autosomal recessive disease. This means that to have the disease, you must inherit a gene for the disease from both parents. Normally, a person inherits two genes that tell the body to produce normal hemoglobin A. One gene comes from each parent. People who inherit one defective hemoglobin S gene and one normal hemoglobin A gene have sickle cell trait.

Sickle cell disorder (SCD) is not a new disease. Experts agree that the disorder is about as old as the African race and its first description was not until 1910. Subsequently, SCD has become a prototype for modern molecular disease. Before now, patients with SCD typically died before reaching adulthood. As a result, health care delivery systems defined the disease as a pediatric condition.

No. The disease is inherited and is not contagious. To inherit the disease, a child must receive two sickle cell genes, one from each parent.