How is sickle cell anemia detected?
How is sickle cell anemia detected?
A blood test can check for the defective form of hemoglobin that underlies sickle cell anemia. In the United States, this blood test is part of routine newborn screening. But older children and adults can be tested, too. In adults, a blood sample is drawn from a vein in the arm.
Who is most at risk for sickle cell anemia?
Risk Factors Sickle cell disease is more common in certain ethnic groups, including: People of African descent, including African-Americans (among whom 1 in 12 carries a sickle cell gene) Hispanic-Americans from Central and South America. People of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian, and Mediterranean descent.
How long can a person live with sickle cell disease?
With a national median life expectancy of 42–47 years, people with sickle cell disease (SCD) face many challenges, including severe pain episodes, stroke, and organ damage.
What kills sickle cell?
Sickle cell disease can cause organ damage, stroke and even death. When organs are deprived of oxygen, pain is just one consequence. Another is organ damage—to the liver, heart, kidneys, gallbladder and eyes—and even stroke.
What are the symptoms of sickle cell anaemia?
Eye damage
What are the main causes of sickle cell anemia?
Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutation in the gene that tells your body to make the iron-rich compound that makes blood red and enables red blood cells to carry oxygen from your lungs throughout your body (hemoglobin). In sickle cell anemia, the abnormal hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become rigid, sticky and misshapen.
What are some sickle cell anemia symptoms?
– fever, – abdominal pain, – pneumococcal bacterial infections, – painful swellings of the hands and feet (dactylitis), and – splenic sequestration.
What are some interesting facts about sickle cell anemia?
There are different forms of sickle cell disease. Patients with this type of ailment inherit a sickle cell gene from one parent (S) and an abnormal hemoglobin gene (C)
