Sickle Cell Anemia - Understand Causes, Symptoms and Treatment of This Red Blood Cell Disease.
It is useful to keep Anemia in perspective before understanding the complexities of Sickle Cell Anemia.
There are two ways in which anemia occurs – one is when you blood has less red cell than the normal or your red cell don’t contain enough hemoglobin.
Bone marrow always is producing red blood cell to replace the old red blood cells whose life is about 120 days. The red blood cells have specific job to carry oxygen from lungs and get rid of toxins like carbon dioxide from the body.
What is Sickle Cell Anemia?
Now let us also understand Sickle Cell Disease!
Normal blood cells are round disc shaped cells. Sometimes in some people these cells are shaped like crescent or sickle shaped. This condition is called Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
Unlike normal cells that contain hemoglobin, the sickle cells contain Hemoglobin S which is sticky doesn’t move easily in the blood vessels. This blocks the blood flow leading to pain, serious infections and ultimately to the damage of various organs.
The sickle cells have life span of 10-20 days and body produces blood cells in about 120 days as a result the amount of red blood cells in body keeps reducing causing anemia. This condition is called Sickle Cell Anemia.
Sickle Cell Anemia Symptoms
Sickle cell anemia varies from person to person. Some people who have the disease have chronic (long-term) pain or fatigue (tiredness). However, with proper care and treatment, many people who have the disease can have improved quality of life and reasonable health much of the time.
The most common symptoms of sickle cell anemia are pain and fatigue. The signs and symptoms differ from person to person. Some people may have acute pains and others may have chronic pain. Sudden pain throughout the body is very common in sickle cell anemia. The pain can last for hours, days or weeks or even longer.
Most people with the condition feel tired and weak. Sometimes dizziness and headaches, shortness of breath skin color turns pale.
Causes of Sickle Cell Anemia
Either you have it or you don’t. This is an inherited disease. You get it from your parents. This happens when you get two inherited genes from both your parents.
Your sibling may be free of sickle cell anemia because he/she might have inherited only one gene from one parent.
Sickle Cell anemia Treatment
Over many years of research scientists have still not found a complete cure for sickle cell anemia.
All the treatments that are in use are to relieve pain, prevent infection and organ damages. Blood transplants have been tried out and they seem to have helped some people.
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Sickle Cell Anemia