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The underlying cause of sickle cell anemia is the synthesis of aberrant hemoglobin, which attaches to other aberrant hemoglobin molecules inside the red blood cell to undergo rigid deformation. [18] Sickle cell anemia symptoms usually appear around the age of six months. They can change over time and differ from person to person.
Sickle cell disease (SCD), also simply called sickle cell, is a group of hemoglobin-related blood disorders that are typically inherited. [2] The most common type is known as sickle cell anemia. [2] Sickle cell anemia results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blood cells. [2]
Individuals with TEC have a median age of presentation of 18–26 months; however, the disorder may occur in infants younger than 6 months and in children as old as age 10 years. Because of the gradual onset of the anemia, children are often healthier than expected from their low hemoglobin levels. [citation needed]
In children and adults red blood cell transfusion to increase the hemoglobin level to 100 g/L has been shown to decrease the risk of sickle cell-related complications. [2] However, this has not been seen in all studies, and has only been demonstrated for African haplotypes of Hemoglobin SS. [12] [13]
It is possible for a person to have both the gene for hemoglobin S (the form associated with sickle cell anemia) and the gene for hemoglobin C; this state is called hemoglobin SC disease, and is generally more severe than hemoglobin C disease, but milder than sickle cell anemia. [2]
A vaso-occlusive crisis is a common painful complication of sickle cell anemia in adolescents and adults. [1] [2] It is a form of sickle cell crisis.Sickle cell anemia – most common in those of African, Hispanic, and Mediterranean origin – leads to sickle cell crisis when the circulation of blood vessels is obstructed by sickled red blood cells, causing ischemic injuries.
Sickle-cell disease and the associated trait are most prevalent in Africa and Central America, which is attributed to natural selection: the sickle-cell trait confers a survival advantage in areas with a high occurrence of malaria, which has a high death rate among individuals without the trait.
Treatment depends on the type and cause of the hemolytic anemia. [2] Symptoms of hemolytic anemia are similar to other forms of anemia (fatigue and shortness of breath), but in addition, the breakdown of red cells leads to jaundice and increases the risk of particular long-term complications, such as gallstones [4] and pulmonary hypertension. [5]