Ruth Abatzoglou's List: Sickle Cell Anemia

• Testing is  typically performed on a smear of blood using a special low-oxygen  preparation. This is referred to as a sickle prep.
• Prenatal diagnosis (before birth) of sickle cell anemia is possible  using amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling. The sample  obtained is then tested for DNA analysis of the fetal cells.
• Fatigue is a common symptom in persons with sickle cell anemia.  Sickle cell anemia causes a chronic form of anemia which can lead to  fatigue. The sickled red blood cells are prone to breakage (rupture)  which causes a much shorter life span of these cells (the normal life  span of a red blood cell is 120 days). These sickled red blood cells  are easily detected with a microscope examination of a smear of blood  on a glass slide

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• Normal red blood cells live about 120 days in the bloodstream,   but sickled red cells die after about 10 to 20 days. Because they cannot   be replaced fast enough, the blood is chronically short of red blood cells,   a condition called anemia.
• ickle cell anemia is an autosomal recessive genetic   disorder
• Sickle cell anemia affects millions throughout the   world. It is particularly common among people whose ancestors come from   sub-Saharan Africa; Spanish-speaking regions (South America, Cuba, Central   America); Saudi Arabia; India; and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey,   Greece, and Italy. In the Unites States

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• ut also occurs in other ethnic groups, including people who are of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent.
• ickle cell anemia occurs when a person inherits two abnormal genes (one from each parent) that cause their RBCs to change shape.

• The clumps of sickle cells block blood flow in the  blood vessels that lead to the limbs and organs. Blocked blood vessels can  cause pain, serious infections, and organ damage.

   

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  Sickle cell anemia      Overview   Sickle cell anemia is a disease passed down through families in which red blood cells form an abnormal crescent shape. (Red blood cells are normally shaped like a disc.)

• Common symptoms include:

  • Attacks of abdominal pain
  • Bone pain
  • Breathlessness
  • Delayed growth and puberty
  • Fatigue
  • Fever
  • Jaundice
  • Paleness
  • Rapid heart rate
  • Ulcers on the lower legs (in adolescents and adult

• ticky and shaped like sickles used to cut wheat. When these hard and pointed red cells go through the small blood tube, they clog the flow and break apart. This can cause pain, damage and a low blood count, or anemia.