Sickle+Cell

Sickle Cell Anemia By: Katherine Sheppard Date: 01/10/08 Sickle cell anemia is a serious condition is which the red blood cells can become sickle-shaped (that is, shaped like a “C”). Sickle cell anemia is a disease that affects your blood. It is hereditary. Sickle cell anemia is the most serious form of sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is found in Africa, the U.S., Latin America, the Caribbean, India, Saudi Arabia, Italy, and Greece. Most people think it only affects people of African descent, but it doesn’t. In parts of Africa, many people believed evil spirits were causing the deaths. According to the theory that 20 to 25 percent of the Africans brought to the U.S. were carriers of the trait, which means the disease would have reached the U.S. in 1619 with the first load of slaves. In the 1920s three forms of sickle cell anemia were identified. These were classified as “symptom less,” “mild,” and “serve.” The signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia is swelling joints, internal pain, slowing physical development, damaging internal organs such as the liver, kidneys, and spleen. Later in life it may affect eyesight or cause strokes. There are more signs like fatigue, anemia, dactylitis arthritis, bacterial infections, liver congestion, lung and heart injury, leg ulcers, bone infarcts, and eye damage. Treatments for sickle cell anemia are designed according to which of the individual features of the illness are present. Doctors can provide treatments that help prevent complications from the disease, though. Folic acid, a [|vitamin] that helps the body produce new red blood cells, is often prescribed for teens with sickle cell anemia. Pain medications help relieve the symptoms of crises. And kids and teens who have sickle cell disease should take **penicillin** or other antibiotics to help prevent infections. Teens with sickle cell anemia may need to get transfusions of healthy red blood cells to help carry oxygen to the tissues of their bodies more effectively, and some may need many transfusions on a regular basis. Scientists are also studying **gene therapy** as a treatment for sickle cell anemia. One day, doctors may be able to stop the disease by changing or replacing the abnormal gene that causes it. Sickle cell anemia affects millions of people worldwide. It’s most common in people whose families come from Africa, South or Central America (especially Panama), Caribbean islands, Mediterranean countries (such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy), India, and Saudi Arabia. In the United States, sickle cell anemia affects about 70,000 people. It mainly affects African Americans, with the condition occurring in about 1 in every 500 African American births. Hispanic Americans also are affected; the condition occurs in 1 out of every 1,000 to 1,400 Hispanic American births. About 2 million Americans have sickle cell trait. About 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell trait.