Sickle Cell Anemia

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Sickle Cell Anemia

• Murron Qualls
• Biology 6th

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Names of Sickle Cell Anemia

• SCD
• SCA
• Hemoglobin SS disease (Hb SS)

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Who is most likely to get SCA?

• People of African and Mediterranean are the most
  common to get the disease.
• People from South and Central America, the
  Caribbean, and the Middle East are also more
  likely to get it then most.

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Symptoms

• Common symptoms include
• Abdominal pain
• Bone pain
• Breathlessness
• Delayed growth and puberty
• Fatigue
• Fever
• Jaundice
• Paleness
• Rapid heart rate
• Ulcers on the lower legs (in children and adults)

• Other symptoms include
• Chest pain
• Excessive thirst
• Frequent urination
• Painful and prolonged erection
• Poor eyesight and sometimes blindness
• Skin ulcers
• Strokes

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How common is this disease?

• About 70,000 people currently have SCD in the
  United States
• About 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell
  trait
• The disease occurs in about 1 out of every 500
  African Americans births. 
• The disease occurs in about 1 out of every 36,000
  Hispanic Americans births.

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Is the Disease Deadly?

• Sickle cell anemia is deadly but not always
• Most people who die from this disease die between
  the age of 20 and 40 of organ failure
• Now, people can live into their fifty's if caught
  early and treated right.

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Can You be Tested?

• Yes, you can be testes for sickle cell anemia.
• The diagnosis can be made as early as pregnancy

• Some tests that can be done
• Complete blood count (CBC)
• Hemoglobin electrophoresis
• Sickle cell test
• Blood oxygen
• Serum potassium

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Is there Treatment?

• There is treatment
• Treatment is for life
• Treatment includes pain killers
• Treatment includes folic acid which helps make
  red blood cells
• Treatment does not cure SCD

• Other Treatments
• Dialysis or kidney transplant for kidney disease
• Gallbladder removal (if you have gallstone
  disease)
• Hip replacement for avascular necrosis of the hip
• Wound care, zinc oxide, or surgery for leg ulcers

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Are there Support Groups?

• There are many support groups all across America
  at hospitals, cancer treatment places and small
  organizations
• There are many online support groups

Sickle Cell Parent Group Chicago, Illinois
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Interesting Facts

• Some people only have attacks every few years
  while some have many a day
• Sickle cell anemia is found in one of every
  twelve African Americans
• People with SCA should not go on planes because
  the air pressure can cause them to stop breathing

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Pictures