Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease is inherited by both the parents passing a defective copy of the Gene. If one parent passes it down while the other dose not that child is a carrier. Less oxygen can travel to the organs of the person who has this disease causing the organs to die. Red blood cells of the people with the disease live less than normal red blood cells so people have a low anemia. Sickle cells get stuck and cause pain to the affected person. People who have this live 30 years less than normal people. Most states routinely check newborns for the disease but if not there is a test called hemoglobin electrophoresis which you can take to see if you are affected or carrier. Most people with this take a dose of penicillin a day and folic acid. People who have this also get blood transplants to get healthy blood cells. This disease mostly affects African Americans in America. 1 out of every 500 African Americans in america are affected.