
overview
- Normal red blood cells and sickle cell anemia
- Sickle Cell Disease Open the pop-up dialog box
- Sickle cell anemia belongs to a group of conditions known as sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell anemia is an inherited red blood cell disease in which there aren’t enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen around your body.
Usually, flexible, round red blood cells move easily in blood vessels. In sickle cell diseases, the red blood is shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These rigid, sticky cells can get stuck in small blood vessels, which can slow or block the flow of blood and oxygen to parts of the body.
symptom
- The signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia usually appear around 5 months of age. They vary from person to person and change over time. Signs and symptoms can include:
- Anemia. Sickle cell disease separates easily and dies leaving you short of red blood cells. Red blood cells usually live about 120 days before they need to be replaced. However, sickle cell disease usually dies within 10 to 20 days, leaving behind a shortage of red blood cells (anemia). Sickle cell anemia treatment in Nizamabad
Without enough red blood cells, your body cannot get enough oxygen, which leads to fatigue.
Episodes of pain. Periodic episodes of pain, known as painful crises, are a major symptom of sickle cell anemia. Pain occurs when sickle-shaped red blood cells block blood flow through tiny blood vessels to the chest, abdomen, and joints. Pain can also occur in your bones.
The reasons
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 allows red blood cells to carry oxygen from your lungs around your body (hemoglobin). In sickle cell anemia, the abnormal hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become stiff, sticky, and deformed.
Both mother and father must pass on the faulty form of the gene in order for a child to be affected.
If only one parent passes the sickle cell gene to the child, that child will have the sickle cell trait. With a normal hemoglobin gene and a defective form of the gene, people with sickle cell traits produce both normal hemoglobin and sickle cell hemoglobin. Sickle cell anemia treatment in Nizamabad
Risk factors
In order for a baby to be born with sickle cell anemia, both parents must have a sickle cell gene. In the United States, black people are most likely to have sickle cell disease.
Complications
Sickle cell anemia can cause a variety of complications, including:
Stroke. Sickle cell disease can block blood flow to an area of your brain. The signs of a stroke include seizures, weakness or numbness in your arms and legs, sudden difficulty speaking, and loss of consciousness. If your child has any of these signs and symptoms, see a doctor right away. A stroke can be fatal.
Acute breast syndrome. A lung infection or sickle cell anemia, which blocks the blood vessels in your lungs, can cause this life-threatening complication, leading to chest pain, fever, and difficulty breathing. This may require emergency medical treatment.
Pulmonary hypertension. People with sickle cell anemia may develop high blood pressure in their lungs. This complication usually affects adults. Shortness of breath and tiredness are common symptoms of this disease that can be fatal.
prevention
If you have the sickle cell trait, consulting a genetic counselor before trying to conceive may help to understand the risk of a child with sickle cell disease. They can also explain possible treatments, preventive measures, and reproductive options. Sickle cell anemia treatment in Nizamabad