How is sickle cell anemia caused?

How is sickle cell anemia caused?

Sickle cell anemia is caused by a mutation in the gene that tells your body to make the iron-rich compound that makes blood red and enables red blood cells to carry oxygen from your lungs throughout your body (hemoglobin).

Can you get sickle cell if your parents don’t have it?

Your child would have to inherit two sickle cell genes to have sickle cell disease. So if your child’s father does not have the sickle cell gene, your child can’t get sickle cell disease.

Can a person go undiagnosed with sickle cell?

Sickle cell disease is when you have two copies of the hemoglobin S, versus sickle cell trait, where you have one normal hemoglobin gene and one abnormal hemoglobin S gene. People of African-American origin are most likely to have sickle cell disease (which is more severe) or sickle cell trait (which can go undiagnosed for many people).

Can a person with sickle cell trait get cancer?

Renal medullary carcinoma is extremely rare and it is not currently possible to predict those individuals with sickle cell trait who will eventually develop this cancer.

What is the diagnosis for sickle cell anemia?

Sickle cell anemia is diagnosed through blood test, testing for hemoglobin S (the defective form of hemoglobin descriptive of the disease), the presence of other abnormal hemoglobin variants, evaluating status and number of erythrocytes, and/or determination of one of more altered hemoglobin gene copies.

How is anemia from sickle cell disease treated?

Management of sickle cell anemia is usually aimed at avoiding pain episodes, relieving symptoms and preventing complications. Treatments might include medications and blood transfusions. For some children and teenagers, a stem cell transplant might cure the disease.

Sickle cell disease is when you have two copies of the hemoglobin S, versus sickle cell trait, where you have one normal hemoglobin gene and one abnormal hemoglobin S gene. People of African-American origin are most likely to have sickle cell disease (which is more severe) or sickle cell trait (which can go undiagnosed for many people).

Renal medullary carcinoma is extremely rare and it is not currently possible to predict those individuals with sickle cell trait who will eventually develop this cancer.

Sickle cell anemia is diagnosed through blood test, testing for hemoglobin S (the defective form of hemoglobin descriptive of the disease), the presence of other abnormal hemoglobin variants, evaluating status and number of erythrocytes, and/or determination of one of more altered hemoglobin gene copies.

Management of sickle cell anemia is usually aimed at avoiding pain episodes, relieving symptoms and preventing complications. Treatments might include medications and blood transfusions. For some children and teenagers, a stem cell transplant might cure the disease.