Sickle cell anaemia is one of several blood-related conditions known as sickle cell disease. It’s a genetic condition inherited from parents and isn’t something you can contract later in life. Sickle cell anaemia is unique from other sickle cell diseases in how it affects your red blood cells.
In a healthy person, red blood cells are round, flexible, and can move easily throughout the bloodstream. However, red blood cells are crescent or sickle-shaped in people with sickle cell anaemia. The red blood cells are also sticky and gunky, don’t move well through the bloodstream, and can even cause blood clots.
The reason that sickle cell anaemia is so dangerous is that red blood cells carry oxygen throughout the body. Therefore, if your red blood cells are sticky and inflexible, they have difficulty carrying oxygen to vital body parts. While there’s no cure for sickle cell anaemia, treatments can help people manage their symptoms and live functional lives.
Because sickle cell anaemia is an inherited condition, people afflicted with it will usually show symptoms before they’re one year old. Symptoms will vary depending on the severity of the condition, and symptoms can worsen or get better over time.
Each of the symptoms people experience with sickle cell anaemia is due to a lack of oxygen or blood clots due to the irregularly shaped red blood cells. Swollen hands and feet result from blood clotting in the extremities, whereas exhaustion and skin discoloration happen because of low oxygen levels. It’s important to know early in life if you have sickle cell anaemia so that you know what symptoms to watch out for.
Sickle cell anaemia is an inherited condition that you cannot contract later in life. It happens when there’s a mutation or problem with the gene responsible for making red blood cells. While researchers don’t know exactly what causes this mutation, sickle cell anaemia most frequently affects people of Mediterranean, African, or Eastern European descent. Although it’s a rare condition, it’s most common in countries that have a history of malaria outbreaks.
Additionally, the only way to prevent sickle cell anaemia is for parents to get tested for the mutated haemoglobin gene before they have children. If both parents are carriers of the gene, there’s a chance their children will have sickle cell anaemia.
Sickle cell anaemia is fairly easy for doctors to diagnose. A routine blood test where blood is extracted from a vein in the arm, finger, or heel is all that’s needed. This blood sample is then tested at a laboratory and inspected for irregularly shaped red blood cells or the sickle cell form of haemoglobin.
Because of how serious sickle cell anaemia is, most doctors will perform a blood test soon after a child is born. Early diagnosis is crucial for proper treatment and management.
While there’s no cure for sickle cell anaemia, various treatments can help with pain management and reduce the chances of dangerous complications.
There are several medications that can help ease the pain caused by sickle cell anaemia. Medications can also help replenish red blood cell count and keep blood flowing through the body.
Hydration, iron supplements, and healthy lifestyle choices help people with sickle cell anaemia.
Blood transfusions and stem cell transplants help reduce painful symptoms and prevent dangerous complications.
Infection is one of the biggest risks of complications for people with sickle cell anaemia. Therefore, infection prevention is critical to staying healthy.