Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that affects the hemoglobin, the part of blood cells that carry oxygen throughout the body. Sickle cell is passed down in families and usually affects people of African and Mediterranean ancestry but in the United States, people of Hispanic ancestry have also had sickle cell. For a child to develop sickle cell, both parents must have the gene and pass it on.

The March of Dimes reports that about 1 in every 500 African-American babies have sickle cell disease. The MayoClinic.com says that 1 out of every 12 African-Americans carry the trait.

The disease causes the hemoglobin to make the red blood cells, which carry the hemoglobin, to form into a C shape, or a sickle shape. These can break down or get caught and block blood flow. The pain can be severe, especially if the cells are caught in the small blood vessels of the chest, abdomen, and joints.

What are the symptoms?

·         Anemia: Anemia is caused by a shortage of hemoglobin to carry the oxygen around your body. If you have sickle cell, the cells break easily and are nota able to carry the oxygen around as they should.

·         Pain: As mentioned above, when the sickle-shaped cells get caught, this can cause severe pain.

·         Hand-foot syndrome: Swollen hands and feet in babies.

·         Jaundice:  Yellowing of the skin and eyes resulting from problems with the liver.

·         Infections.

·         Stunted growth.

·         Vision problems.

The pain from sickle cell can be short and bearable to long and excruciating. Pain from sickle cell is called a crisis. When the pain becomes too bad, intravenous medications may be necessary to get the pain under control.

The familydoctor.org has published this information on how to try to prevent a sickle cell crisis (from What causes a sickle cell crisis?):

• Limit how much alcohol you drink.
• Don’t smoke. If you do smoke, quit.
• Exercise regularly but not so much that you become really tired. When you exercise, drink lots of fluids.
• Drink at least 8 glasses of water a day, especially during warm weather.
• Reduce or avoid stress. Talk to your doctor if you’re depressed or have problems with your family or job.
• Treat any infection as soon as it occurs. When in doubt, see your doctor.
• Wear warm clothes outside in cold weather and inside in air-conditioned rooms during hot weather. Also, don’t swim in cold water.
• Tell your doctor if you think you might have a sleep problem, such as snoring, or if you sometimes stop breathing for short periods of time during sleep (called apnea).
• If you have another medical condition, like diabetes, get treatment and control the condition.
• If you are pregnant or plan to become pregnant, get early prenatal care.
• Only travel in commercial airplanes. If you have to travel in an unpressurized aircraft, talk to your doctor about extra precautions. 

More resources:

Sickle Cell Disease Association of America

The March of Dimes

MayoClinic.com