Sickle cell anemia/disorder, or scd, is a fatal genetic disease in which a person has sickle shaped hemoglobin in their red blood cells. This is something that can leave a person disabled and make life a bit difficult for them.

Causes A person infected with scd will inherit two abnormal hemoglobin genes, one from each parent. That is if both parents have a sickle cell trait. Even though the parents don't have the disease with the sickle cell trait, should they have children, they could be at risk of being diagnosed.

Signs and symptoms

The disease is usually present at birth, but is not known to start affecting or causing problems in a baby until they are at least 5 to 6 months old. Early symptoms can include painful swelling in the hands and feet, fatigue from anemia, yellowish colored skin, or whitish eyes.

There has been extreme pain in the lower back, arms, legs, abdomen, and chest. This can go on for a lifetime if left untreated, the person may also be at risk of blood clots later in life, and worst cases, death at a young age from severe symptoms.

Diagnosis and treatment

Most genetic disorders are searched for and diagnosed using screening tests. Should something suspicous be found, the patient and his or her family will be told for what signs to watch out for. It is possible to treat the disease through antibiotics and immunizations, but because it is so large, treatment can take months, even years to clear it. Every year, one in four people are diagnosed with sickle cell anemia after birth.

Sources: https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-topics/topics/sca https://medlineplus.gov/sicklecellanemia.html Image source: google images