Sickle Cell Disease Effecting the World

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) affects millions of people throughout the world and is particularly common among those whose ancestors came from Sub-Saharan Africa, Spanish-speaking regions in the Western Hemisphere (South America, Central America, and the Caribbean Islands), Saudi Arabia, India, and Mediterranean countries such as Turkey, Greece, and Italy.

It is estimated that:

•  SCD affects 90,000 to 100,000 Americans.

•  SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 500 Black or African-American births.

•  SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic-American births.

•  SCT occurs among about 1 in 12 Blacks or African Americans.

•  During 2005, medical expenditures for children with SCD averaged $11,702 for children with Medicaid coverage and $14,772 for children with employer-sponsored insurance. About 40% of both groups had at least one hospital stay. People with SCD also recieve less comprehensive care.

SCD is a major public health concern. From 1989 through 1993, an average of 75,000 hospitalizations due to SCD occurred in the United States, costing approximately $475 million.

Sickle Cell Anemia in the News

There was a New York Times article about a teenager who has SCD and how she deals with it. Giovanna Poli is from West Palm Beach, Florida, and was diagnosed with SCD as an infant. She says she has pains in her arms and legs and is hard for her to walk sometimes. In extreme cases, she has to go to the hospital. The research in finding a cure has advanced, and the life expectancy of a person living with SCD used to be about 14 years, but now, has extended to about 50-60 years. Also, stroke seems to be common with SCD for children who are diagnosed. For more information and to find out about Giovanna's story, click on the link mentioned earlier.

Football Player with Sickle Cell Anemia

Tiki Barber, former NFL running back played football from 1997-2006. He is an All-Star athlete and looks to be headed to the Hall of Fame. What many people don't know about Mr. Barber is that he has Sickle Cell Anemia. To respond to this, Tiki created a charity called "Be Sickle Smart", to raise money for the cause. He wants to make sure that all kids stay in school, and are not busy in the hospital getting treatment everyday. Him and his brother Ronde run the charity together. This charity has really helped to gain money to find a cheap cure for SCD and the Barber family is striving to reach this monumental goal. 

Want to Know More?

Do you want to know more about Sickle Cell Anemia? Go to the Sickle Cell Disease website to find out more. Also on this website, is some ways to get involved, such as donating to help the cause, or even to try to contact them to ask questions. Another great organization is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. This website gives a short description of sickle cell anemia, as well as a video of a person dealing with this disease.

Other websites to look at:

• WebMD
• The American Sickle Cell Anemia Association
• MayoClinic

If you have more questions, feel free to let us know in the comments.

History of Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle Cell Anemia was first discovered in 1910 by Dr. James B. Herrick. A patient, native from Grenada, went to his office because of symptoms of anemia. After further examination, the patient seem to have had sickle-shaped red blood cells. 

A few years later, more people have been seen with these sickle-shaped cells, and had appeared mainly in people from Africa. This can be linked to the unclean water in Africa. By around 1940, this sickle cell trait appeared to be a sex linked trait, as a mother could be a carrier, being heterozygous, and actually having the disease would be homozygous dominant.

It was later discovered by Dr. Linus Pauling, that hemoglobin, the red blood cell that transports oxygen, has a different chemical structure in a person with the sickle cell trait than a person without it. This is just a brief history of Sickle Cell Anemia. See more here.

Did You Know?

Here are some interesting facts about Sickle Cell Anemia. 

• There are about 2.5 million people in the United States who have Sickle Cell Trait
• Around 70,000 of those people have Sickle Cell Disease, and 1,000 babies are diagnosed with it every year
• Life expectancy is around 40 years
• SCD is most commonly found in African Americans
• The only known cure for Sickle Cell Disease is stem cell or bone marrow transplant, even then, it is not always successful

Watch this informational video to find out more about Sickle Cell Anemia. It gives a little bit more of an in depth summary of Sickle Cell Anemia.

Symptoms of Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle Cell Disease can be very deadly if not treated for. In order to get a good treatment, it is better to be diagnosed early, so you can get the appropriate treatment for this disease. Some symptoms include:

• Altitude sickness
• Shortness of breath
• Dizziness
• Frequent headaches
• Sudden pain throughout the body

If not treated early, this could lead to sickle cells being evident in the lungs, bones, and joints. This can easily be stopped if diagnosed early. Make sure to have a blood test done if you feel like the symptoms listed above are frequent.