Sickle cell is inherited from one's own parents. It is caused when both parents each give their child a damaged gene that contains the disorder. "The gene containing Sickle Cell is located on chromosome 11 of the gametes."1 When the child only receives one gene which contains sickle cell while the other gene inherited is normal, the child does not have sickle cell disease but sickle cell trait. The disorder results from the presence of an abnormal hemoglobin, the "iron-containing pigment in the red blood cells of vertebrates that increases the oxygen-carrying capacity of the blood."2 The abnormal hemoglobin in place of the normal one is called sickle cell hemoglobin (Hb S). "Normal adult hemoglobin (Hb A) is made of four long chains of amino acid units which are connected to a complicated iron-containing organic molecule called heme."3 Two of the four chains have 141 amino acid units called the alpha c

At this point there is still no cure for the disease. Screening tests can be conducted for newborns to test for the abnormal hemoglobin. There are three reliable tests that can be conducted for sickle cell, hemoglobin electophoresis, isoelectric focusing or high performance liquid chromatography. "Two tests which are not sensitive enough should not be relied upon, they are metabisulfite test and the solubility test."8 These tests can be conducted with a simple blood sample.

There is no satisfactory treatment for sickle cell, there is only supportive treatment, these include hydration, treatment of infections, and analgesia for the pain episodes. Blood transfusions are also available when the anemia becomes too severe. Doctors usually recommend drinking lots of liquids, eating a well balanced diet, exercise but not too strenuously and try not to become too stressed. Infections of any kind should be treated quickly and efficiently. Immunizations against certain diseases will provide more protection. "The majority of people with sickle cell are blacks and those of African decent as that is where the disease is thought to have originated from."9 The reason behind it is that sickle cell protects the body from malaria which is common in those parts. Since the infected blood is killed, the malarial parasite is killed as well and plus malaria does not live well under low oxygen conditions. "Sickle cell is very common amoung blacks in the U.S.; the rate is 1 in every 650 African-Americans."10

Sickle Cell anemia patients are also especially vulnerable to infections and other diseases because their spleen which is a major barrier to disease, is damaged or even surgically removed in sickle cell patients.

Diagnosis and Treatment for Sickle Cell Anemia:

The anemia part of sickle cell anemia itself has its own symptoms. Anemia, which the shortage of hemoglobin, is a blood disorder all on its own. Its symptoms include nutritional deficiencies, which occur because red

Some common words found in the essay are:
Cell Anemia, Hb Hb, Sickle Cell, Anemia Sickle, GAG Valine, Hb Normal, sickle cell, cell anemia, sickle cell anemia, blood cells, red blood, blood cell, amino acid, red blood cell, abnormal hemoglobin, amino acid units, oxygen hb, cure disease, anemia sickle, anemia sickle cell, oxygen supply body,
Approximate Word count = 1335
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)