-Both children and adults are more vulnerable to infections and have a harder time fighting them off. This is the result of damage to the spleen from the sickled red cells, which prevents the spleen from destroying bacteria in the blood. -Infants and young children, especially, are susceptible to bacteria (infections that can kill them in as little as 9 hours from onset of fever).

But patients can’t wait for these drugs to be approved or for gene therapy to finally reach its final stage. Basic treatment of painful crises relies heavily on pain-killing drugs and oral and intravenous fluids to reduce pain and prevent complications. Blood transfusions are used to treat and to prevent some of the complications of sickle cell anemia. Transfusions correct anemia by increasing the number of normal red blood cells in circulation. Transfusions are used to treat spleen enlargement in children before the condition becomes life threatening. Regular transfusion therapy also can help prevent recurring strokes in children at high risk of crippling nervous system complications. Giving young children with sickle cell anemia oral penicillin twice a day, beginning when the child is about 2 months old and continuing until the child is at least 5 years old, can prevent pneumococcal infection and early death in these children. Recently, however, several new strains of pneumonia bacteria that are resistant to penicillin have been reported. Since the vaccines for these bacteria are ineffective in young children, studies are being planned to test new vaccines.

-If both parents have sickle cell trait (HbAS) there is a one in four (25%) chance that any given child could be born with sickle cell anemia. There is also a one in four chance that any given child could be completely unaffected. There is a one in two (50%) chance that any given child will get the sickle cell trait.

The clinical course of sickle cell anemia does not follow a single pattern; some patients have, mild symptoms, and some have very severe symptoms. However, the basic problem is the same, the sickle-shaped red blood cells tend to get stuck in narrow blood vessels, blocking the flow of blood. This results in the following conditions/problems:

Some topics in this essay:
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