Sickle cell disease is an inherited disease of red blood cells. It is characterized by pain episodes, anemia (shortage of red blood cells), serious infections and damage to vital organs.

The symptoms of sickle cell disease are caused by abnormal hemoglobin. Hemoglobin, the main protein inside red blood cells, carries oxygen from the lungs and takes it to every part of the body.

Normally, red blood cells are round and flexible and flow easily through blood vessels. But in sickle cell disease, the abnormal hemoglobin causes red blood cells to become stiff and, under the microscope, may look like a C-shaped farm tool called a sickle.
These stiffer red blood cells can get stuck in tiny blood vessels, cutting off the blood supply to nearby tissues.

This is what causes pain (called a sickle cell pain episode or crisis)and sometimes organ damage in sickle cell disease.


Sickle-shaped red blood cells also die and break down more quickly than normal red blood cells, resulting in anemia.
There are several common forms of sickle cell disease.

Can a person catch sickle cell disease from someone who has it?
No. The disease is inherited and is not contagious. To inherit the disease, a child must receive two sickle cell genes, one from each parent.

Do we all have the same chance of inheriting sickle cell disease?
No. In the Netherlands, most cases occur among African -Americans,Arabian, Greek, Maltese, Italian, Sardinian, Turkish and Indian ancestry.

Is sickle cell trait the same thing as sickle cell disease?
No. A person who inherits the sickle cell gene from one parent and the normal type of that gene from the other parent is said to have sickle cell trait.Carriers of the sickle cell gene generally are as healthy as noncarriers. Sickle cell trait cannot change to become sickle cell disease. However, when two people with sickle cell trait have a child, their child may inherit two sickle cell genes and have the disorder.

Can a woman with sickle cell disease have a safe pregnancy?
Yes. However, women with sickle cell disease are at increased risk of complications that can affect their health and that of their babies. During pregnancy, the disease may become more severe and pain episodes may occur more frequently. A pregnant woman with sickle cell disease is at increased risk of preterm labor and of having a low-birthweight baby. However, with early prenatal care and careful monitoring throughout pregnancy, women with sickle cell disease can have a healthy pregnancy. If the baby’s father has sickle cell trait, the baby has a 50 percent chance of having the disease.
If he does not, the baby will have only the trait.
T-Boz of Hit Group TLC Says Sickle Cell Disease Has Taught Her to Have Greater Appreciation Of Life
Jet, March 6, 2000
Tionne "T-Boz" Watkins of the platinum-selling trio TLC has had Sickle Cell Anemia since she was a child. But, she doesn't let herself get stressed out about having to deal with the genetic disease because she says that it has taught her the value of life.
"When you live with something like [sickle cell], it has to change your life and hopefully for the better," the raspy-voiced vocalist told Monica Eng of the Chicago Tribune. "For me to survive period, I have to have a positive attitude. A 100 percent healthy person can get stressed out and break down and get sick. So if I already have a blood disease, I'm not going to be negative every day. I'm going to try to make the best of it."
She says that as a child she was teased because of her thin frame and the special foods she had to eat because of the disease. In fact, it was the teasing she received as a youngster that inspired her to write the poem Unpretty that was turned into a song. The tune appears on TLC's smash album Fan Mail.
"Ricki [Lake] was talking to women whose husbands abused them for being too fat, and I started thinking about all the kids who teased me because I had to drink baby milk for sickle cell and all the girls who called me skinny," recalled T-Boz, who wrote the poem a little while after she was released from the hospital for a sickle cell crisis. "And I realized how much other people have made me feel ugly and like an outcast. I was so worried that people would say, 'T-Boz looks messed up. She has bags. She's shaking right now. She looks tired. She doesn't fit the star thing. She could be a crack head.'"
T-Boz of TLC named Sickel Cell Assn. spokeswoman - rap singer named at Sickle Cell Disease Association of America - Brief Article
Jet, Nov 11, 1996
Singer T-Boz of the hit group TLC was recently named spokesperson for the Sickle Cell Disease Association of America. She is the first female spokesperson for the organization.
The singer has revealed that a battle with sickle cell anemia frequently keeps her in "excruciating pain."
The illness has forced the 26-year old singer to "fake and smile when I wasn't happy, to sing when I didn't feel like it to do stuff . . . just to please my fans," she said during an interview with the TV show "American Journal."
T-Boz, whose real name is Tionne Watkins, says that she hopes to send a message that the illness can be overcome
My attitude is like `Ok, you're going to have to just face what you got. Now suck it up and try to make the best of it.'"
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Genetic bloodanemia (sicklecell disease)

Carriers posses for a small part abnormal red pigment of the red blood cells (Haemoglobin, abnormal HB is S and healthy is A an exception is the C).

Synonym
Sickle cell disease is an example of a genetic bloodanemia. This disease comes to being by changes of de red pigment in the red blood cells: the haemoglobin. The function of the haemoglobin is to transport oxygen. People originated from countries where malaria reigned or has reigned, can be carrier of genetic blood anaemia. Carriers of sickle cell disease are from child on better protected against the serious consequences of malaria. Most carriers don’t even notice, in extremes they suffer a slight blood anaemia without serious consequences. Mainly we’re talking about healthy people, who originate from the Mediterranean sea area,the middle east,Asia and Africa.

How frequently does it occur?
All over the world carrier of the inherited sickle cell disease occurs in 1 out of 20 people.
In the Nederlands it can occur in parents or their children:
*migrating from the countries around the Mediterranean sea[turkey,moroko,Italy etc.]Africa, the
middle east and the far east[China, India and the south-east of Asia] and the caribine like the
[Suriname,curacao etc.] , 1 out of 15
* with (distant) ancestors from the sub tropical countries.
From northern European countries, 1 out of 1300

Is research necessary?
Although carriers themselves don't know if they are carriers, its important to know whether they are carriers of the sickle cell disease or not. Here are three reasons why ?
1.Anemia is often treated with iron tablets , but when you have the sickle cell disease these tables are not necessary and sometimes even dangerous.
2.When carriers of the sickle anaemia have complaints (like tiredness) it might occur through a shortage of folic acid.
3.The third most important reason is the risk of two carries who want to have a child.
These healthy carriers can produces a child with a serious form of the sickle cell disease.

Are you a carrier?
Through a blood test you can check if you are a carrier of the sickle cell disease .
This test can be obtained though your General Practitioner. Carriers of the sickle cell disease have little or no complains but of course there are always expect ions on the rule. Carries of the sickle cell disease are not contagious and being a carrier of the sickle cell disease can not turn into the real sickle cell anaemia disease.

For those who wish to have children.
As a carrier who wishes to have a child, it is important to know whether your partner is also a carrier of the sickle cell anaemia . Partners who are both carriers of the sickle cell anaemia have a chance of 50% that the child is a carrier too, or a chance of 25% for a healthy child and a chance of 25% that the child will have a serious form of the sickle-cell anaemia with little or no expectancy for a cure .

Tips

1.Drink plenty of fluids. A sickle cell patient must drink plenty of fluids very day to help the circulation of the blood flow. how much must you drink? Are you older than 18 years old?click here to find out your weight..... now you know exactly how much fluid you have to drink per day. Are you 18 years or older then you have to drink 2 to 3 liters of fluid minimum per day.


2.Eat healthy different types of food. Make sure you eat enough vegetables and fruits everyday.


3.Dont smoke and avoid smoker or smoking areas. Smoking is bad for everybody's healthy. but sickle cell patients must take extra precaution.


4.Make sure that you do enough exercises but also make sure you don't get exhausted from them.


5.Get enough rest! Make sure that if you had a busy day ,get enough rest. And sleep enough hours per night



• The work of our blood is to transport substances, gases and cells in the body.

• Red blood cells contain the hemoglobin (HB) that keeps the oxygen together.

• Sickle cells have the shape of a sickle or a half moon/ that’s why, they call it sickle cell disease.

• Sickle cells break down faster than the normal cells, they break down in 20 days compared to normal cells that break down in 120 days.

• Sickle cell disease is a form of anemia.

• By the demolition of the red blood cells a yellow substances/dye comes free, which causes yellow skin and eyes.

• Sickle cell disease is also called the invisible disease.

• Sickle cells never get its original round size and form back.

• Approximately 10 to 15% of the dark skinned people are carriers of this disease.