Sickle Cell Anemia
Objectives • What is Sickle Cell Anemia? • Causes • Signs and Symptoms • Diagnosis • Treatments • New treatments • Outlook for sickle cell anemia • Interesting Facts
Sickle Cell Anemia Sickle cell anemia is a serious disorder in which the body makes sickle-shaped red blood cells. Sickle-shaped means that the red blood cells are shaped like a crescent.
Normal red blood cells
Sickle cell (crescent shaped)
Sickle Cell Anemia • Sickle cells are stiff and sticky. They tend to block blood flow in the
blood vessels of the limbs and organs. Blocked blood flow can cause pain and organ damage. It can also raise the risk for infection.
Causes • Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutation in the gene that tells your body to make hemoglobin.
• The sickle cell gene is passed from generation to generation. • Sickle cell anemia happens when both the father and the mother carry the defective gene and is pass down to the child.
Signs & Symptoms • The symptoms of sickle cell anemia vary. Some
people have mild symptoms; others have severe pain and are often hospitalized.
•
Sickle cell anemia is present since birth, but infants don’t show any signs until after 4 months old
•
Most symptoms are linked to anemia
Signs & Symptoms Related to Anemia
• The most common symptoms of sickle cell anemia are weakness and been tired.
• Other symptoms include: • Shortness of breath • Dizziness • Headaches • Coldness in the hands and feet • Jaundice
Signs and Symptoms Complications
• Infections are very dangerous because the organs that help fight infections can be damage by sickle cell anemia.
• Delayed growth
Signs & Symptoms Complications continue..
• Strokes • Eye problems • Gallstones • Ulcers on the legs • Multiple organ failure
Diagnosis • •
A simple blood test, can determine whether you have a sickle hemoglobin,
•
Test results are sent to the doctor who order the test and to the baby’s primary care doctor. Your doctor may send you to a hematologist for a second blood test.
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Testing before birth can be done by using a sample of amniotic fluid or tissue taken from the placenta.
•
Testing before birth can be done as early as 10 weeks into the pregnancy.
In the United States, all states mandate a testing or sickle cell anemia as part of their newborn screening programs.
Treatments • The goals to treating sickle cell
anemia are to relieve pain; prevent infection, organ damage, and stroke; and control complications.
• Treatment includes: • Blood and marrow stem cell transplant (may offer a cure to a small number of people)
• If the pain is not severe over the counter pain killers can work.
• Hydroxyurea can treat severe crises of sickle sell anemia.
• Resting, using over the counter
medicine, heating pads, and plenty of fluids can treat mild pain.
New treatment • Research on blood and marrow stem cell transplant, gene therapy, and
new medicines for sickle cell anemia is ongoing. The hope is that these studies will provide better treatments for the disease. Researchers also are looking for a way to predict the severity of the disease.
Prognosis • The life expectancy of a person with sickle cell anemia is reduced due to many complications.
• However some patients can remain without symptoms for years, while others do not survive infancy or early childhood
• There is no widely known cure for sickle cell anemia. However,
treatments can help relieve symptoms and treat complications
Interesting Facts • Unlike normal red blood cells, which can live 120-days, sickle-shaped cells live only 10 to 20 days.
• People who have Sickle Cell Anemia are more resistant to Malaria • In the United States, the disease is more common in African-
Americans. About 1 out of every 500 African-Americans babies born has sickle cell anemia.
References Cell Disease. The University of Utah, n.d. Web. 13 Nov. • "SICKLE CELL DISEASE." Sickle 2013. <http://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/disorders/whata
regd/sicklecell/>.
• Staff, Mayo Clinic. "Definition." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 26 Mar. 2011. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/sickle-cellanemia/DS00324/DSECTION=causes>. "What Is Sickle Cell Anemia?" - NHLBI, NIH. U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, 28 Sept. 2013. Web. 15 Nov. 2013. <http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/healthtopics/topics/sca/>. http://www.zazzle.com/sickle_cell_anemia_butterfly_acrylic_cut_outs153068223127160819
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