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The Information Behind Sickle Cell
How many kids or even adults suffer from sickle cell? Some have loved one's suffering from this illness, and may need medical help. Sickle Cell is a disease causing red blood cells to clot at times and turn into pain called sickle cell crisis. If a child is often aching they may have sickle cell anemia. Before putting a child at risk go get tested for sickle cell anemia. It also helps to know some information dealing with sickle cell. Read the following below to learn more about sickle cell, and helping your loved ones.
What Is Sickle Cell?
Sickle Cell is a disease that causes red blood cells to clot and cause pain called Sickle Cell crisis. Sickle Cell Anemia is an inherited disease in which a person does not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the entire body. Healthy red blood cells are flexible and round, but people with Sickle Cell have a crescents shaped red blood cell. Crescent shaped cells cannot move easily and become stuck in small blood vessels, blocking the vessel to cause pain. Sickle Cell is a rare disease that mostly comes from foreign places including Africa, South or Central America, India, Saudi Arabia, Caribbean Islands, and Mediterranean Countries.
Are there any cures?
There are some possible cures for Sickle Cell, but they can be very dangerous to attempt. Most doctors do not even talk about a cure unless the disease is really bad. Bone marrow or transplants can offer cure to some but may lead to more problems. Transplants may be good but you have to be healthy and have a matched donor. Most cures for Sickle Cell are overlooked because they are so dangerous.
How and Who Does it affect?
Sickle Cell is known to affect 1 in every 500 African Americans, and also known to affect 1 in 1,000 to 1,400 Hispanic Americans. The odds of a child getting Sickle Cell depend on the parents. When both parents of a child have the Sickle Cell trait there is a 25% chance that the child will have the Sickle Cell Disease. When one parent has the trait and the other has the disease the odds increase to 50% chance that the child will inherit the disease. Sickle cell disease is a dangerous disease that may be deadly. A child with sickle cell disease may die before the age of five.
Why should one get tested?
Sickle Cell can cause many different problems, including strokes, bone pain, eye problems, sickle arthritis, and aseptic necrosis of hip or shoulder bone. Strokes are the most dangerous and can occur in the first year of life and 80% occur before the age of 20. Strokes occur in 8% to 12% of children. Sickle Cell is a dangerous deadly disease that kills many adults and children. Some Sickle Cell children may die before the age of five. Sickle Cell disease is very dangerous and should be treated with care. Getting tested for Sickle Cell is very important and could save a child’s life, so please go get tested today.
How Can I Help?
If you do not have Sickle Cell disease or trait you can help by:
1) Going to your local Red Cross and donating blood. Most Sickle Cell Patients need frequent blood transfusion when they are feeling down.
2) You can also help by just going to your local doctor and being tested for Sickle Cell.
3) Also you can help by just following our social media pages and spreading the word about Sickle Cell, and Sickled Life.