Skip to main content

SICKLE CELL ANEMIA

 Overview

Sickle cell anemia is the most common inherited blood disorder in the world.
Sickle Cell anemia is an autosomal inherited disease in which the shape of haemoglobin changes from spheroidal to crescent sickle shape. This reduces the blood carrying capacity of haemoglobin causing various problems like anemia, pain in joints, stroke and so on.

Normal haemoglobin lives for about 120 days whereas sickle celled haemoglobin lives for just about 10 to 20 days. The cells become rigid and get stuck in narrow blood vessels, blocking them.

What is sickle cell anemia?

As we have told earlier, sickle cell anemia is an autosomal inherited disease.
An autosomal inherited disease is a disease that passes from parents to progeny. If you have sickle cell anemia, maybe your parents have it to or maybe they are carriers of the diseased genes.

We know that our DNA has a number of genes that produce various proteins, which make our body functional. When one such gene produces a correct structure of haemoglobin. If this gene is even slightly different, the protein produced is completely different. We call that type of gene "mutated gene". If a person has 2 mutated genes, he has the disease. If a person has 1 mutated gene, he is a carrier.

Our haemoglobin has 2 alpha and 2 beta chains that combine together by various organic bonds creating 1 complete haemoglobin molecule.

Sickle cell anemia is caused due to mutation in a gene that produces the beta-globin chain of the haemoglobin molecule. The mutation is a point mutation, that means a change in one single base pair the complete gene causes the disease. This causes the shape of the haemoglobin molecule to change.

Normal haemoglobin molecule carries about 4 oxygen molecules, while sickle cells carry only 2 oxygen molecules, which is the main cause of oxygen deficiency.

When is it diagnosed?

A baby is born with sickle cell anemia. It's first symptoms are shown between 4 to 6 months of growth.


Symptoms

Symptoms of sickle cell anemia are as follows.
1.Anemia
2.Fever
3. Episode of pain in any part of body mainly chest, joints and abdomen
4. Vision problem
5. Swelling in hands and legs
6. Symptoms of stroke
7. Fatigue
8. Jaundice
9. Frequent infections

Life Expectancy

A person born with sickle cell anemia can live for about 40 to 60 years of age. They can die suddenly prior to that age too. There's no guarantee of life when you are suffering from sickle cell anemia. 

Treatment

Sickle cell anemia can't be permanently cured, but there's a ray of hope if you go for bone marrow transplant.
Other than that there are several treatments available that might help you live longer with your condition like rehydration therapy, blood transfusion and so on.

Conclusion

Sickle cell anemia doesn't itself become the cause of death. If the supply of oxygen is reduced in various organs, they malfunction and cause death. If the same problem happens with the heart, the person dies. But sickle cell anemia can be treated. It's first case was diagnosed in 1856, but the baby died before his first birthday. Since then the technology has developed so much that the average life expectancy of a person suffering from sickle cell anemia is about 45 years of age, but if he is diagnosed. If you have any related symptoms you should consult a doctor immediately.

Stay Safe, Stay Healthy and fit and Stay tuned for more.
Please Share and Leave a comment if you liked it, it'll make our day.
Thank you for reading this.

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POSTURAL DEFORMITIES

  Overview Correct posture means the balancing of the body in an accurate and proper manner while sitting, reading, standing, writing or during any other action of the body. Posture is actually dynamic and changes according to the activities being performed. The body weight should be equally distributed over both the legs and feet as to produce less fatigue. Postural deformities are the deformities in the skeletal system of the body that cause improper posture. It can lead to pain in various body parts and sometimes, even become a hindrance in one's growth. There are a number of people who suffer from these deformities, but they don't even know about that due to lack of knowledge. Most people don't even know that problems like this exist.  Various types of postural deformities are stated below. 1.Kyphosis Kyphosis implies an increase of the posterior curve. In this the vertebral column loses its original shape and gets almost straightened. In this the person develops a roun...
Post a Comment
Read more

HERBAL CONTROL OF DIABETES THROUGH FENUGREEK (METHI)

  Benefits of Fenugreek( methi) in diabetes Fenugreek ( scientific name: Trigonella foenum-graecum, Hindi: "Methi" ) is a herb that is used as a spice in indian households. It is cultivated worldwide as a variety of semiarid crop. It is believed that fenugreek seeds help in controlling the blood sugar level of the people and is beneficial to diabetics. It is a herb that has been uses in ayurvedic medications for ages. Diabetes is a condition where the body is not able to control the level of glucose or sugar in the blood due to low or no production of insulin, a hormone that controls the blood sugar level. No or less secretion of insulin in the body leads to a condition called hyperglycemia .   According to WHO, diabetes will become the seventh largest killer worldwide. Diabetes is a chronic disorder that cannot be cured. All you can do is to control the level of sugar in your blood. Why is Fenugreek effective? Fenugreek has various minerals, vitamins and is very rich in f...
Post a Comment
Read more

CALORIES IN 200 FOODS YOU DAILY EAT

  Overview We eat a variety of food items throughout the day. From the eggs in breakfast to those little sugar sweets we eat everything has a certain amount of calories. Our body needs those calories for functioning properly. Do you know how many calories eggs give you? How many calories are there in your orange juice? We are here to answer all these questions. We will tell you about the number of calories in all the things that you eat during the day. Food Items S.No Food Item Quantity Calories 1. Ghee 1 tbsp. 45 2. Cooked Cereal 1/2 cup 80 3. Rice Cooked 25 grams 80 4. Chapatti 1 medium 80 5. Dosa (Plain) 1 medium 135 6. Dosa (Masala) 1 medium 250 7. Pakoras 50 grams 175 8. Puri 1 large 85 9. Samosa 1 piece 140 10. Vada (Medu) 1 small 70 11. Pea Soup 1 cup (253 g) 190       12. Vegetable Soup 1 cup (241 g) 67       13. Biryani (Mutton) 1 cup 225 14. Biryani (Veg.) 1 cup 200 15. Pulav (Veg.) 100 grams 130 16. Broccoli Cheese Soup 1...
Post a Comment
Read more