Sickle-Cell Disease
Sickle cell disease (SCD) is one of the most common genetic blood disorders that affect the hemoglobin where red blood cells change from their standard round shape to crescent-like shape. As a result of alteration in form, it becomes problematic for the red blood cells to course liberally through blood vessels, and the body destroys them quicker than usual, causing Anemia as the body recognizes the difference as an abnormality. People born with SCD have parents with sickle traits, or in much rarer cases, one parent has a sickle cell trait while the other parent has a beta-thalassemia trait (Yates, 2016). Although some people with sickle traits are generally in good physical shape, they can pass the defective gene to their children, especially during pregnancy. Additionally, if a baby is born with only one flawed hemoglobin trait, the baby only becomes a carrier of the sickle cell disease but does not develop the SDC symptoms.
Although Hispanic, middle eastern, or people with Asian back grounds are at risk of inheriting the disease, statistics show that African Americans are the most affected, and 1 in every 13 African American children is born with a sickle cell trait. Also, about 1 in 365 black children is born with disease at risk of inheriting the disease (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2020) Newborn screening programs have gotten set up in the United States. All newborn babies get tested for SCD, however countries that do not have the screen testing program, diagnosis is made when the children start to experience symptoms (Yates,2016). Symptoms associated with SCD include pain as a result of lack of blood flow to the bones, infections due to low immunity, stroke if a sickle cell gets trapped in the brain, and weariness resulting from low levels of energy as a result of Anemia.