Diagnosis of Sickle Cell Anemia

Sickle cell anemia is a form of anemia that is inherited. When a person has sickle cell anemia, they do not have enough healthy red blood cells to carry oxygen throughout the body. This can cause damage to body organs, and it can cause severe health problems.

Normally a person’s red blood cells are round and flexible. This makes it very easy for them to travel throughout the body providing oxygen to cells and major organs. When a person has sickle cell anemia their red blood cells are more rigid and are shaped like sickles or crescent moons.

The problem with this sickle shaped blood cells are that they die prematurely which always leaves a shortage of red blood cells in the body. The fact that these cells are more rigid can make it difficult for them to travel through small blood vessels. When red blood cells become stuck it can restrict the blood and oxygen flow to that specific area of the body. This can cause severe pain or even life threatening conditions.

Sickle cell anemia mostly effects those of African American descent. A person may carry the sickle cell gene but not be affected by sickle cell anemia. When two people who carry the sickle cell gene have a baby, that baby will develop sickle cell anemia.

Signs and symptoms of sickle cell anemia usually don’t show up until after four months of age. The symptoms will depend on the individual. Some people will have very few symptoms and others will require many hospitalizations over their lifetime due to severe symptoms.

The most obvious symptom of sickle cell anemia is a chronic shortage of red blood cells. This shortage can cause extreme fatigue and shortness of breath. A person with sickle cell anemia will receive many blood transfusions in their lifetime due to chronic anemia.

When a person suffers from what is called a sickle cell crisis they can have severe pain. This is because the sticky, rigid blood cells will get stuck in the opening to some of the smaller blood vessels. The result is a lack oxygen to that particular part of the body which will produce severe pain. Sometimes the pain can be so severe it requires hospitalization for pain control.

Other symptoms of sickle cell anemia will include swollen hands and feet as the blood flow from these extremities can become blocked. Yellowing of the skin and eyes is another symptom of sickle cell anemia. This is caused because the liver becomes overwhelmed with the rapid breakdown of the red blood cells in the body. Sickle cell anemia can damage the spleen which will put you at risk for frequent infections.

A simple blood test can be used to diagnose sickle cell anemia. This blood test will look for the presence of hemoglobin S which indicates sickle cell disease. Most states will test all newborn babies for sickle cell anemia as part of their routine screenings.

If the screening test is positive, more tests will be performed to see if the person carries one or two sickle cell genes. If the person carries only one gene, chances are he or she will remain asymptomatic. If the person carries two sickle cell genes then he or she can expect to have symptoms of sickle cell anemia at some point in their life.

There is no cure for sickle cell anemia but a person can lead a normal life with the proper treatments. More research is being done daily to find a cure for this genetic disease.