Trusted Resources: Evidence & Education
Scientific literature and patient education texts
Sickle Cell Anemia
source: Cleveland Clinic
year: 2022
summary/abstract:Sickle cell anemia is a blood disease that affects red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are round. In people with sickle cell anemia, hemoglobin – a substance in red blood cells – becomes defective and causes the red blood cells to change shape. The faulty hemoglobin is called hemoglobin S, (HgbS) and it replaces normal hemoglobin called: hemoglobin A (HgbA). Over time, the red blood cells become rigid and shaped like crescent moons or sickles.
The sickle-shaped red blood cells:
Clog blood vessels, causing episodes of pain and cutting off oxygen to tissues and organs.
Get trapped in the spleen (an organ that gets rid of old cells) where they are destroyed. The body cannot replace the lost cells fast enough. As a result, the body has too few red blood cells, a condition known as anemia.
Sickle cell anemia is a serious disease that can require frequent hospital stays. Children and young adults can die from the disease.
read more
Related Content
-
Increased prevalence of type 2 diabetes-related complications in combined type 2 diabetes and sickle cell traitObjective: The prevalence of type 2 dia...
-
Clinical outcomes associated with sickle cell trait: A systematic reviewBackground: Although sickle cell trait ...
-
Hardships, and New Hope, for Sickle Cell PatientsSickle cell disease affects about 100,00...
-
The Truth About Chronic Illness in CollegeAs I write this post I am sitting in my ...
-
Sickle Cell Disease: All you Need to KnowSickle cell disease (SCD) is an inherite...
-
ASH offers early look at updated SCD guidelines: Experts formulated >50 recommendations on sickle cell diseaseThe American Society of Hemato...
-
Indiana Sickle Cell Conference 2020 – VirtualThis one-day conference will provide hel...
To improve your experience on this site, we use cookies. This includes cookies essential for the basic functioning of our website, cookies for analytics purposes, and cookies enabling us to personalize site content. By clicking on 'Accept' or any content on this site, you agree that cookies can be placed. You may adjust your browser's cookie settings to suit your preferences. More Information
The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.