What is sickle cell disease?
Sickle cell disease is a group of blood conditions that affect hemoglobin, the part of the red blood cell that carries oxygen. Healthy red blood cells are round, soft disks. In sickle cell disease, red blood cells start out round but become curved like a crescent moon. They are hard and sticky and can clog blood vessels. This causes pain and blocks blood flow.
How do you get sickle cell disease?
People with sickle cell disease are born with it. The genes that cause the disease are passed from parents to children.
Who is at risk for the disease?
In the United States, approximately 100,000 Americans are affected by sickle cell disease. Although most people with sickle cell disease are of African or Hispanic heritage, the disease can affect anyone, especially people of southern European, Middle Eastern or Asian Indian heritage.
How do you know if you have it? All newborns in the United States get a blood test right after birth that checks for sickle cell disease. In Washington state, newborns diagnosed with sickle cell disease are referred to a specialist right away. If a child is not screened as a newborn, they can get a blood test at any time.
Is there a way to know if my unborn child will have sickle cell disease?
People who are pregnant can get a test that checks for sickle cell disease before the baby is born. The test looks for the genes that cause sickle cell disease. Millions of people are unaware they have the sickle cell gene because inheriting the gene from only one of your parents usually does not cause illness. That’s why it’s important to be tested. If you and your partner both have the sickle cell gene, there is a 25% chance with EACH pregnancy that your child could be born with sickle cell disease.
How does sickle cell disease affect the body?
Some children with sickle cell disease have only mild symptoms. For others, symptoms can be severe. Symptoms of sickle cell disease include:
- Pain, which can be extreme
- Feeling tired
- Breathing problems
- Severe infections
- Losing balance or control of parts of the body (stroke)
- Yellow color in the whites of the eyes. Children with lighter skin tones may have yellowish skin. This is called jaundice. It happens if the liver cannot filter blood fast enough.
Can it be cured?
Sickle cell disease can be cured with a donor bone marrow transplant, but use of this therapy has the best chance of success in patients who have a closely matched sibling donor, which is a small percentage of patients. Gene therapy clinical trials are underway at several medical institutions and hold tremendous promise.
