Sickle Cell Aneima

Sickle Cell Anemia is a very serious disorder of which the physical effects are very severe and numerous. Over 120,000 of people worldwide fall victim to the disorder every year and over 60,000 people are diagnosed with it die annually (BMTN 1998). Instead of having effects and complications that are limited to one system of the body, this disease affects many systems. The systems of the body that are most affected by Sickle Cell are the circulatory system and the respiratory system (NHLBI 1996). The physical complications are very numerous for victims of Sickle Cell Anemia and range in terms of seriousness from pale skin to death (SCIC 2002). Sickle Cell Anemia affects the victim’s body in a great number of ways causing them to acquire other diseases as well as a number of severe complications and many noticeable symptoms.

Sickle Cell Anemia is a disorder that is linked to the red blood cells. Red blood cells are the bodies mechanisms used to fight off infection and cure the body of injuries and disease. They are the main component of the immune system. In a healthy person, red blood cells live for an average of 120 days. However, in Sickle Cell patients red blood cells survive for only

The lack of efficient red blood cells caused by Sickle Cell Anemia causes other physical effects in the body other than the diseases mentioned before. While the diseases are primarily found in children with Sickle Cell, other complications and physical effects can occur in victims of any age. Patients that have Sickle Cell Anemia have red blood cells that become hard and sickle shaped (SCIC 2002). This causes the blood cells to become sticky and clot together easily. These blood clots block the flow of blood in the blood vessels causing them to break apart. This prevention of blood flow and breaking of blood vessels causes a number of serious effects on Sickle Cell patients and is the major cause of all complications caused by the disorder (SCIC 2002).

4) Wierenga, Klaas. “Paediatric Complications of Sickle Cell Disease.” http://mrcjamaica.nimr.mrc.ac.uk/paed_comp.htm#comp1 (June, 1997)

5) The Sickle Cell Information Center. “Sickle Cell Anemia.” http://www.scinfo.org/sicklept.htm (April 6, 2002)

Sickle Cell Anemia affects many different systems of the body in a number of different ways. There are a number of serious disorders that are often associated with Sickle Cell that many sufferers get as a result of having Sickle Cell. Most often, these are found in infants and children and result in a large amount of time spent in the hospital and often on life support machines (Wierenga 1997). One of the most common diseases associated with Sickle Cell Anemia is Acute Chest Syndrome. This disease affects a majority of the people diagnosed with Sickle Cell and is especially prominent in young children (Hsu 2001). Acute Chest Syndrome is the second most common cause for hospitalization for Sickle Cell patients and accounts for twenty-five percent of premature deaths caused by Sickle Cell (Hsu 2001). The symptoms and physically effects of this disease are a high fever and chest infiltrates. Acute Chest Syndrome is very unpredictable in terms of knowing when it will occur and is most often caused by lack of oxygen to the lungs due to blood clots in blood vessels (Hsu 2001).

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