Preserve Our Legacy: Spare Cells, Saves Lives Health Panel Discussion

GET INFORMED! Sickle Cell Disease: Symptoms and Complications

GET INFORMED!

Sickle Cell Disease: Symptoms and Complications

 by Maya Bryant

Sickle Cell Disease is a serious disease that has very serious symptoms.  Symptoms of the disease start at the early age of 4 months, and can occur entirely throughout one’s lifespan.  This segment is to inform about the various symptoms of Sickle Cell Disease. In the next segment, we will then discuss the treatments for these symptoms.  

Early Symptoms 

The earliest symptom for a patient with sickle cell can be found within the first 4 months of life.  This symptom is known as hand-foot syndrome.  Because babies have very small hands and feet, sickle cells can easily get clogged in the tiny blood vessels of these areas and cause the hands and feet to swell.  

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Other Complications
The majority of problems that come with sickle cell come from block blood vessel due to the clogging of sickle cells.  Patients with sickle cells often get organ damage, especially in the spleen.  Since the spleen is a prominent part of the immune system, patients with sickle cell disease have a high risk of infections. 

Other symptoms include 

• delayed growth
• jaundice
• vision problems
• coldness in the hands and feet
• fatigue
• dizziness
• shortness of breath

It is important for patients with sickle cell to adopt and maintain a healthy diet that that is low in salt, added sugars, and solid fats to prevent symptoms as much as possible.  The patient should also drink plenty of water to prevent dehydration.  Most doctors recommend for patients to take folic acid to help the body make more red blood cells.  

Sickle Cell Crisis 

The main complication that comes with sickle cells disease is sickle cell crisis.  This can be found anywhere in the body where blood flows, but mainly occurs in the joints.  People with this disease describe the feeling of the crisis as repeatedly being stabbed with a butcher knife in the same spot.  All patients with sickle cell have crises, but some have them more often than others.  If the pain is unbearable, the patient needs to go to the hospital as soon as possible.  Some crises last for a couple hours, while others can occur for weeks at a time.

GET INFORMED! Sickle Cell Disease: Where do you get it from?

GET INFORMED! 

Sickle Cell Disease: Where do you get it from?

by Maya Bryant

For “Part Two” of the Sickle Cell Disease series, we will discuss how genetics play a part.  Earlier, we learned how blood cells work, the definition of sickle cell disease, and a few statistics on the disease.  If you haven’t had a chance to look at Part 1, take a second to scroll down and read it right now!  This would help you understand this new section much better.  Now, we are going to discuss DNA and how Sickle Cell Disease is acquired through genetics.

DNA

DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid.  It is a molecule that makes up the genetic material of all living things that is found in each and every cell.  DNA is a like a cell’s blueprint: it contains instructions for a cell’s structure and function.  Each person’s DNA contains alleles from each parent. Half of each parent’s alleles are randomly selected to be passed on to the child. (½ alleles from father + ½ alleles from mother = child’s DNA makeup) 

Dominant vs. Recessive Traits 

Each allele has various forms.  This explains why everyone looks different. There is a large variety of each genetically express trait.  Some alleles are dominant and others are recessive. In order for the recessive trait to be expressed, two recessive alleles from each parent have to be passed down to the offspring. In other for a dominant trait to be expressed, the offspring could have both dominant alleles for the trait or a dominant allele and a recessive allele.  The dominant allele DOMINATES over the recessive allele.  For example, brown eyes are a dominant trait and blue eyes are recessive.  If a child was passed down a brown eye allele from their father and a blue eye allele from their mother, the child would have brown eyes, but will still be able to pass down either allele to its offspring.  Complicated right? 

Genetics and Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle Cell Disease is a recessive trait, which means both parents have to pass on a recessive allele for Hemoglobin S (as we discussed in the first segment) to the offspring.  If one dominant and one recessive allele are passed, the offspring has the trait for sickle cell.  This means that the child is able to produce normal red blood cells with Hemoglobin A.  They also may produce some sickle cells here and there, but not enough to harm any bodily functions.  Because the trait can still be passed along, two parents with the sickle cell trait have a 25% chance of having a child with the disease.