Sickle+Cell+Anemia

What is sickle cell anemia?
- is a disorder in which your body produces abnormally shaped red blood cell - a normal blood cell has a shape of a circle while an abnormal blood cell has a shape like a crescent - red blood cells contain an iron-rich protein called hemoglobin - hemoglobin carries oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body - it's easy for a normal blood cell to move through your blood vessels - sickle cells contain an abnormal hemoglobin called sickle hemoglobin - the sickle hemoglobin is the cause on why the blood cells are in an abnormal form - sickle cells are sticky and they tend to get stuck in the blood vessels of the limbs and organs - when the sickle cells block the blood flow it causes pain, sometimes infection and organ damage - having this disease means a lifelong battle against health problems





How do you get it?
- is inherited - people who have the disease are born with it - it inherits two genes for sickle hemoglobin (one from each parent) - some people inherit sickle hemoglobin from one parent only and a normal gene from the other parent this is called sickle cell trait - sickle cell trait is different from sickle cell anemia - people who have sickle cell trait don't have the disease but they are a carries - people with sickle cell trait can pass the sickle hemoglobin gene to their children

**What are the symptoms?**
- periods of pain (happens when the sickle cell blocks the blood vessels and the blood flow) - common symptoms: - this pain can last hours even days - people may look pale - their skin and the white of their eyes may have a yellowish look - doctors cannot tell the symptoms of a child born has - with a baby they cannot tell how serious the disease is going to be or when they will start to feel the symptoms
 * bone pain
 * fatigue
 * fever
 * rapid heart rate
 * excessive thirst
 * strokes
 * blindness
 * abdominal pain
 * breathlessness

media type="youtube" key="Qz1gpdaDYGQ" height="315" width="560" this video is explaining all the symptoms a person with SCA has and what you should do to prevent it.

**How to know if you have Sickle Cell Anemia**
- taking a blood tests: - often for newborns they take blood test before they go home from the hospital
 * a complete blood count (CBC)
 * hemoglobin electrophoresis
 * sickle cell test

Prevention
- physical exam every 3-6 months (to make sure you are getting the right nutrition and the proper vaccinations) - during pregnancy you can prevent the change in red blood cell shape by: __Preventing Crises__ - prevent dehydration - avoid stress, smoking, high-altitudes, any event that reduces your oxygen level - have plenty of fluids - avoid too much sun exposure __Preventing Infections__ - antibiotics to prevent infections
 * getting enough fluids
 * getting enough oxygen
 * quickly treating infection

How is it treated?
- early treatments include daily antibiotics from 2 months to 5 years of age to prevent severe infections - routine childhood vaccination is also important - for older people the __pain management plan__ which you can prepare with your doctor ahead of time - this plan have the benefit of doing it at home - some people need regular blood transfusions to lower the risk of stroke and treat anemia - most important regular checkups with your doctor

Treatment
- goal: to control the symptoms and to limit the number of crises - patients need ongoing treatment - there are support groups where members can share their experiences - there is treatments for complications of sickle cell anemia that include:
 * kidney transplant for kidney disease
 * hip replacement
 * bone marrow or stem cell transplant
 * among others

- bone marrow or stem cell transplant can cure sickle cell anemia but is not an option for most patients - is hard for patients with sickle cell anemia to find a well-matched donor

__Overview__
- sickle cell anemia is a type of anemia - anemia is a condition when your blood has a lower than normal number of red blood cells or if the red blood cells don't contain enough protein hemoglobin

Normal red blood cells
- the red blood cells are made inside the large bones of the body - the __bone marrow__ is always making new blood cells to replace the old one - a red blood cells live up to 120 days in the bloodstream and then dies - in this period of time the red blood cells carry oxygen and remove the carbon dioxide from your body

With sickle cell anemia
- number of blood cells are low - sickle cell anemia don't last very long (10-20 days) - the bone marrow can't make new red bloods cells fast enough to replace the dying ones

**__Outlook__**
- sickle cell anemia doesn't have a cure - treatments can help with the symptoms and complication of the disease - over the past 100 years doctors have learn a lot about sickle cell anemia - doctors know what it causes it, how it affects the body and how they can treat it - in the past people at age 20-40 died from organ failure - today patients can live into their 50s

- Antibiotics can be taken to prevent severe infections - Surgery: bone marrow transplant is a cure to this disease - There are many therapies centers - You can know if you have SCA once you where born || - Life expectancy is reduced - Can get bacterial infection and die from it - ONLY genetically identical sibling can offer the transplant marrow - You cannot play sports - Severe pain when sickle cells block the blood vessels ||
 * **Benefits** || **Limitations** ||
 * - Sickle cell gene protects against malaria infection

Social/Economical
Social People with sickle cell anemia mostly teenagers experience difficulty on their daily tasks because of depression and social activities. Teenagers are at risk when playing any sport due to the fact that there body is dehydrated and the amount of time expose to the sun.

Economical The amount of cost for treatments and vaccinations varies on the age of the patient. If the patient is an adult the cost for monthly treatments is $2,853, for a children from birth to the age of 9 the cost is $892 per month. It has been proven that with the bone marrow transplant surgery people stop having sickle cell anemia. The bone marrow transplant cost around $250,000 dollars. It's hard to get this surgery not only because of the money but to find a proper donor.

====“Bone Marrow Transplant Costs - for around $30,000 and World Class Surgery.” //Enzine Articles//. N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. __.__ ====

Elsevier, Saunders. “Kidney Transplant.” //New York Times//. N.p., 9 Nov. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. __ . __
====Maugh II, Thomas H. “Bone Marrow Transplant ‘Gets Rid Of’ Sickle Cell Anemia.” //Los Angeles TImes//. N.p., 10 Dec. 2009. Web. 12 Mar. 2012. __ . __====