What is Sickle Cell?
Sickle Cell anemia is a genetic blood disorder in which a defective oxygen gene inside the red blood cell causes the whole cell do turn from a normal, round "donut" shape, into a sickle shape, as shown in the picture at the top of the screen (the red blood cell on the left is the normal red blood cell, and the cell in the bottom right corner is the sickle cell). When cells sickle, it increases difficulty for the cells to travel through veins and distribute oxygen to the rest of the body. Many sickle cell become clogged in the veins and cause sickle cell crisis, or episodes of intense pain lasting anywhere from minutes to weeks. This blockage causes organ damage, and may lead to other serious diseases such as stroke, gallstones, etc. Also, sickle cells tend to last only 10-20 days compared to the normal blood cell of 100-120 days; which in turn causes the cells to die faster, weakening the immune system and causing severe disorders such as anemia, jaundice, etc. Sickle cell affects a wide range of people, mainly African Americans. Other groups include Africans, those living in Latin/South America, as well as those living in the Mediterranean area of Europe (Greece, Italy, etc.). This disease makes life difficult for many, but with increased awareness it can be prevented.