﻿ Sickle Cell Anemia: Learn About SCD Symptoms and Treatment

Sickle Cell Disease
(Sickle Cell Anemia)

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Sickle cell anemia (SCD) facts

  • Sickle cell trait, which is the inheritance of one sickle gene, almost never causes problems.
  • Virtually all of the major symptoms of sickle cell anemia are the direct result of the abnormally shaped sickled red blood cells blocking the flow of blood.
  • The current treatment of sickle cell anemia is directed primarily toward managing the individual features of the illness as they occur.

What is sickle cell anemia?


Sickle cell anemia is one of the most common inherited blood anemias. The disease primarily affects Africans and African Americans. It is estimated that in the United States, some 90,000 to 100,000 Americans are afflicted with sickle cell anemia. Overall, current estimates are that one in 500 U.S. African American births is affected with sickle cell anemia.

How is sickle cell anemia inherited?



Picture of Sickle Cell Red Blood Cell
Picture of Sickle Cell Red Blood Cell
Medically Reviewed by a Doctor on 5/21/2015

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Sickle Trait and Sickle Cell Disease

What is Sickle Trait?

Red blood cells are manufactured in the bone marrow. Their unique biconcave shape (think of squeezing a marshmallow between your fingers) increases their storage capacity for hemoglobin molecules that carry oxygen. They also make the cells pliable and soft so they can squeeze through the tiniest blood vessels in the body. In sickle disease, the red blood cells form an abnormal crescent shape that is rigid, causing the red blood cells to be damaged. The cells aren't malleable enough to get through tight spaces, and this can increase the risk of forming blood clots in the small capillaries of different organs causing the potential for organ damage.