Sickle cell anemia is one type of hereditary disorder that is a serious disease. It is characterized by the body making C shaped red blood cells, or sickle shaped. An abnormally shaped sickle cell is hard to move through blood vessels in the body. These cells are stiff, sticky and are apt to clump together and get stuck in the blood vessels. This is caused by them containing an abnormal hemog

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lobin which causes the odd shape.

Normal red blood cells are of a disc shape that is similar to a doughnut without the hole in the middle. These normal blood cells travel through blood vessels easily because they contain the hemoglobin protein. This protein is rich in iron and also give the blood cell its rich, red color. In addition, it carries oxygen from the lungs and to the rest of a person’s body.

When the sickle cells clump together, they block the flow of blood in the blood vessels that branch off to the organs and limbs of a person. These blocked vessels cause a number of issues such as pain, organ damage and life threatening infections.

Sickle cell anemia is a disease that people are born with. They inherit it from both parents with the sickle cell trait. It is a disease for life and there is no cure. Parents who have the trait can pass this gene to their offspring but it takes two parents with the trait to cause the disease. Some children have the trait but not the disease and this comes from getting one normal gene from one parent and the sickle cell trait from the other parent.

Even though there is no cure, there are treatments that help in some cases such as bone marrow transplants. Proper medical care and good health helps as well.