is sickle cell disease fatal?
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Sickle cells that block blood flow to organs deprive the affected organs of blood and oxygen. In sickle cell anemia, blood is also chronically low in oxygen. This lack of oxygen-rich blood can damage nerves and organs, including your kidneys, liver and spleen, and can be fatal.
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Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. If you have SCD, there is a problem with your hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. With SCD, the hemoglobin forms into stiff rods within the red blood cells.
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Did you know? Sickle cell disease occurs more often among people from parts of the world where malaria is or was common. It is believed that people who carry the sickle cell trait are less likely to have severe forms of malaria.
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Having sickle cell disease means a lifelong battle against the health problems it can cause, such as pain, infections, anemia, and stroke. But many people are able to have a very good quality of life by learning to manage the disease.
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Signs and symptoms of sickle cell disease usually begin in early childhood. Characteristic features of this disorder include a low number of red blood cells (anemia), repeated infections, and periodic episodes of pain. The severity of symptoms varies from person to person.
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People with sickle cell disease produce unusually shaped red blood cells that can cause problems because they do not live as long as healthy blood cells and can block blood vessels. Sickle cell disease is a serious and lifelong health condition, although treatment can help manage many of the symptoms.
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Sickle cell trait is NOT a disease and will never turn into a disease. People with sickle cell trait usually do not have any health problems. However, under extreme conditions a person with sickle cell trait can experience some of the same problems as a person who has sickle cell disease.
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Sickle cell disease (SCD), or sickle cell anemia, is a group of genetic conditions, resulting from the inheritance of a mutated form of the gene coding for the β globulin chain of the hemoglobin molecule, which causes malformation of red blood cells (RBCs) in their deoxygenated state.
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In rare cases, death can even occur. Complications from sickle cell trait are rare. A common presentation is that of “conscious collapse,” where an athlete complains of severe leg pain, cramping, and inability to move the legs despite remaining conscious and alert.
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Brain complications in children with sickle cell disease. Children with sickle cell disease are at risk for brain damage because their irregularly shaped sickle cells can interrupt blood flow to the brain. Complete clogging of blood flow to the brain can lead to an “obvious” stroke.
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Sickle cell trait symptoms. Unlike the more serious sickle cell disease, SCT generally causes no symptoms. Most people with the condition have no direct health consequences due to the disorder. Some people with SCT can have blood in their urine.
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Abnormal versions of beta-globin can distort red blood cells into a sickle shape. The sickle-shaped red blood cells die prematurely, which can lead to anemia. Sometimes the inflexible, sickle-shaped cells get stuck in small blood vessels and can cause serious medical complications.
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In sickle cell disease, the red blood cells are misshapen (curved like a sickle) and tend to be sticky and clump together. Normal red blood cells live for approximately 120 days, but sickle cells live only 10 to 20 days, leaving patients with a serious deficit of healthy cells to deliver oxygen throughout the body.
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Children with sickle cell disease are at increased risk of developing bacteremia and other serious bacterial infections. Fever is a common symptom in sickle cell disease and can also occur with sickle cell crises and viral infections.
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Sickle Cell Anemia – The Most Common Hemoglobin Disease Sickle cell anemia affects about 90,000 to 100,000 people in the United States, including one in every 500 African-American babies and one in every 36,000 Hispanic babies. Sickle cell anemia can cause pain, infections and damage to body organs.
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Having sickle cell disease alone does not affect learning ability, but the complications of the disease may cause learning problems. Students may require extra help and encouragement when illness interferes with school. Fatigue due to anemia and sleep disturbances may be present.
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Sickle cell disease is a group of disorders that affects hemoglobin, the molecule in red blood cells that delivers oxygen to cells throughout the body. People with this disease have atypical hemoglobin molecules called hemoglobin S, which can distort red blood cells into a sickle, or crescent, shape.