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What is Sickle Cell Anaemia?

Sickle Cell Anaemia is a serious blood disorder in which the body makes sickle-shaped (“C” shaped) red blood cells. Normal red blood cells are disk-shaped and move easily through your blood vessels. This condition leads to a lack of healthy red blood cells needed to carry adequate oxygen throughout the body.

Red blood cells contain the protein haemoglobin. Sickle cells contain abnormal haemoglobin that causes the cells to have a sickle shape, which don’t move easily through the blood vessels – they are stiff and sticky and tend to form clumps and get stuck in the blood vessels. The clumps of sickle cells block blood flow in the blood vessels that lead to the limbs and organs. Blocked blood vessels can cause pain, serious infections, and organ damage.

In sickle cell anaemia, a lower-than-normal number of red blood cells occurs because sickle cells don’t last very long. Sickle cells usually die after about 10 to 20 days and the body can’t reproduce red blood cells fast enough to replace the dying ones, which causes anaemia.

Causes

Sickle Cell Anaemia is an inherited, lifelong disease. People who have the disease inherit two copies of the sickle cell gene – one from each parent.

Symptoms

Sudden pain throughout the body is a common symptom of Sickle Cell Anaemia. This pain is called a “sickle cell crisis”, and often affects the bones, lungs, abdomen, and joints. Other symptoms of Sickle Cell Anaemia include:
•   Fatigue
•   Shortness of breath
•   Dizziness
•   Headache
•   Coldness in the hands and feet
•   Pale skin
•   Chest pain

Diagnosis & Treatment

Sickle Cell Anaemia is diagnosed by a Doctor using a physical examination and blood tests.

Sickle Cell Anaemia has no widely-available cure. However, treatments can help relieve symptoms and treat complications. The goals of treating sickle cell anaemia are to relieve pain, prevent infections, eye damage and strokes, and control complications.
Bone marrow transplants may offer a cure in a small number of Sickle Cell Anaemia cases.

Additional Information

Sickle cell anaemia is most common in people whose families descended from Africa, South or Central American, Caribbean islands, Mediterranean countries, India and Saudi Arabia.

Also see: Anaemia