What Is Sickle Cell Disease?

What Is Sickle Cell Disease?

Sickle cell disease is a condition in which red blood cells are not shaped as they should be. Red blood cells usually look like round discs.But in sickle cell disease, they're shaped like crescent moon, or an old farming tool known as a sickle.

These sickle shaped cells get stuck together easily, and block off small blood vessels. when blood can't get to where it should,it can lead to pain and organ damage.

What Are The Signs And Symptoms of Sickle Cell Disease?

People with sickle cell disease can  have pain when blood can't get to  parts of the body. These times are called pain crisis

Pain may happen in any part of the    body and maybe brought on by cold,stress,illness,or dehydration. The pain may last a few hours,a few days,or sometimes longer. Sometimes,pain can be managed at home. But someone with severe pain might need treatment in a hospital.

People with sickle cell disease oftenhave a low number of red blood cells,or anemia. Signs of anemia include:

• paleness, often seen in the skin,lips, or nailbeds
• tiredness
• dizziness
• being short of breath
• feeling light-headed
• being irritable
• trouble paying attention
• a fast heartbeat

People with sickle cell anemia may  have jaundice.This happens because the sickle-shaped red blood cells break down faster than normal cells

What Problems Can Happen?

People with sickle cell disease can  have problems that need immediate attention by a doctor, such as:

• Acute chest syndrome: Causedby , infection, and blockages ofsmall blood vessels of the lung.Signs include chest pain, coughing, trouble breathing and fever.
• Aplastic crisis:This is when the body does not make enough red blood cells and can cause severe anemia.signs include: paleness, extreme tiredness and fast heartbeat.
• Infection:People with sickle celldisease are a risk for some  bacterial infections.  It's important to watch for fevers of  101°F(38°C) or higher, which can be signs of an infection.  Call your doctor and get  medical care right away if a   fever happens.
• Priapism: Guys with sickle cell disease can have painful, long-lasting erections. If it's not  treated quickly, damage can  cause problems with getting  erections later on.
• Stroke: Sickle-shaped cells can block small  blood vessels in the brain,  causing a stroke. Signs can  include headache, , weakness  of the arms and legs, speech  problems, a facial droop, or  loss of consciousness.

People with sickle cell disease are  also at risk for problems such as leg ulcers,bone or joint damage,  gallstones,kidney damage, eye  damage, and delayed growth.

What Causes Sickle Cell   Disease?

Sickle cell disease is not contagious,so you can't catch it from someone  else or pass it to another person like a cold or an infection.

People with sickle cell disease have  it because they inherited two sickle  cell ,one from each parent. In some  types of sickle cell disease, people  can inherit a sickle cell gene from  one parent and a different abnormal hemoglobin gene from the other  parent.

A person who inherits the sickle cell gene from only one parent will not  develop the disease, but will have  something called sickle cell trait.People with sickle cell trait oftendon't have any signs of the disease,  but they can pass the sickle cell geneto their children.