Sickle cell anemia is a blood disorder that is inherited from both parents in which the body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells. In sickle cell anemia, the hemoglobin in red blood cells links together; resulting in the red blood cells to become rigid and a C-shaped. These deformed cells block blood and oxygen flow in blood vessels. Sickle cells deteriorate quicker than normal red blood cells, which results in anemia.
Sickle cell anemia is a genetic disorder. For a person to have sickle cell anemia they must have received two copies of the gene, one from each parent. A person with the sickle cell trait only received one sickle cell gene and a normal hemoglobin gene. People who have the sickle cell trait do not develop sickle cell anemia however they can pass the deformed gene on to their children. People with just the trait do not face the complications caused by the disorder.
Due to the blockage of blood flow in the arteries sickle cell anemia causes many complications. The trademark of sickle cell anemia is a sickle cell crisis, which causes sudden serve pain. A common problem is acute chest syndrome, which is triggered by an infection or by blockage of blood vessels in the lungs. Which if left untreated, can be cause organ damage or even death.
Each red blood cell in the human body contains about 280 million hemoglobin molecules. Hemoglobin is the most important component of red blood cells. Red blood cells are composed of a protein (globulin) and a molecule (heme), which binds to iron. Normal hemoglobin causes regular oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange. In the lungs, the heme, which binds to iron, component takes up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. The red blood cells carry the oxygen to the body's tissues, where ...
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...creases, therefore speeding the sickling process. Sickle cells also have a shorter life span (10 - 20 days) than normal red blood cells (90 - 120 days). Every day the body produces new red blood cells to replace old ones, but sickle cells become destroyed so fast that the body cannot keep up. The red blood cell count drops, which results in anemia. This gives sickle cell disease its more common name, sickle cell anemia.
The only true way to determine if a person has sickle cell anemia is through a blood test, and if a person does have sickle cell anemia there are ways to help avoid crisis and the pain associated with the disease. There are medicines that help to prevent attacks. Anti-inflammorty medicines help with the joint pain associated with this disease.
Works Cited
Sickle Cell Disease." University of Maryland Medical Center. N.p., n.d. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
Red blood cells deliver the oxygen to the muscles and organs of the body.
According to Virtual Medical Centre (2014) the primary function of the blood is to act as a transport, to give the body protection and to help regulate. The blood dissolves gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide. The blood also transports vital nutrients throughout the body, such as micro-nutrients, fatty acids and amino acids. The flow of the blood helps to regulate the body’s temperature. Also the blood removes wastes material of metabolism. Blood cells (white and red cells) are carried through the body to help with the body’s natural defense, blood clotting and the carry anti-bodies.
A normal red blood cell can live up to one hundred and twenty days. A red blood cell with the membrane defect might live ten to thirty days. When the child develops low levels of red blood cells, it is because the cells break down faster than they are being replenished. The body contains hemoglobin, which is a form of protein that carries oxygen around the body, giving it to the cells that need it (Seattle Childrens).... ...
Sickle Cell Anemia is an autosomal recessive disorder, which increases blood thickness hence affects the smooth flow of blood. This causes by the destruction of red cells where the normal shape of red cell become a stiff sickle shape. As a result, sufficient oxygen does not reach the vital organs. A vaso-occlusive crisis arises from hindrance of blood circulation by sickled blood cells. It is characterized by sturdy pains and in some cases; it may cause permanent organ damage. This paper seeks to formulate a nursing diagnosis, as well as a plan of care that includes nursing interventions and the methods to be used to evaluate whether the interventions are successful (American Sickle Cell Anemia Association).
Therefore, treatment for sickle cell disease aims to relieve symptoms and prevention of complications (Mayo Clinic Staff, 2014). Management of the disease begins with informing parents that have a high risk of conceiving children with the disease about prenatal screening (Schnog et. al., 2004). This allows for comprehensive care of the newborn and preparation (Schnog et. al., 2004). One of the preventative measures include antibiotics such as penicillin before the age of 5 to reduce the risk of infections. Others include getting all the required vaccinations as well as additional ones, regular influenza vaccinations and meningococus vaccination (“How Is Sickle Cell Disease Treated?”, n.d.). Additional measures include screening tests and evaluations such as blood and urine testing, eye examinations, pulmonary hypertension, cognitive screening and Transcranial Doppler (TCD) Ultrasound Screening (which tests whether a child is at risk for stroke) (“How Is Sickle Cell Disease Treated?”, n.d.). As the disease is associated with painful crisis, medication to manage pain is also prescribed to those presenting with the symptoms (“How Is Sickle Cell Disease Treated?”,
Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary disorder that mostly affects people of African ancestry, but also occurs in other ethnic groups, including people who are of Mediterranean and Middle Eastern descent. More than 70,000 Americans have sickle cell anemia. And about 2 million Americans - and one in 12 African Americans - have sickle cell trait (this means they carry one gene for the disease, but do not have the disease itself).
“In the United States, it's estimated that sickle cell anemia affects 70,000–100,000 people, mainly African Americans” (NHLBI, NIH, Who is at risk for sickle cell anemia). SCD is a disease that is a serious disorder in which the body can make normal blood cells and sickle shape cells. Sickle shape cells can block the blood flow in your vessels and cause pain or organ damage also put you in risk for infections. SCD has no cure available but there are many treatments out there to deal with the complications of it. From over years treatments did get better from way back in the day doctors have learned. Sickle cell disease has lack of attention and funding because it’s only affecting African American the most.
Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease of red blood cells. Normally red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin A, which carries oxygen to all the organs in the body. With sickle cell anemia, however, the body makes a different kind of protein, called hemoglobin S.
If only one parent is a carries that child may only inherit that trait sickle cell cannot be contracted or pass from one individual to the next sickle cell is consider and autosomal recessive discover. It gets pass down from generation to generation.
Iron deficiency in the body limits the synthesis of heme, a prosthetic group of hemoglobin that in turn confines the synthesis of hemoglobin and decreases the production of red blood cells (RBCs) in the bone marrow resulting in anemia. The life span of red blood cells lowers because of the iron deficiency and even accelerates eryptosis. The removal of red blood cells during anemia can be attributed to an increase in membrane stiffness and a decrease in deformability, which decreases the ability of red blood cells to pass through the spleen without being removed (Nagababu et al., 2008).
The heme prosthetic group, a protoporphrin IX ring structure with an iron atom ion the ferrous (Fe2+) oxidation state exist in both in myoglobin and he...
Hemoglobin functions as transporter of oxygen molecular. The hemoglobin picks up O2 from the pulmonary system and delevers it to the body cells. oxyhemoglobin is a hemoglobin louded with O2 and deoxyhemoglobin is not louded with O2 . Blood in arteries is brighter red than the blood in veins. Hemoglobin molecule has four units of globin in addition to four units of heme. Estimation of serum Hb is a test that measures the level of free Hb in the liquid part of the blood (the serum). This test is done to diagnose or monitor the severity of a low RBC count caused by the abnormal breakdown of RBCs). Standard blood tests can also be performed on the blood that extracted from the arteries, like determining glucose level, hemoglobins and dys-haemoglobins, and electrolytes. The abnormal result indicate: -Drug-induced immune hemolytic anemia-G6PD deficiency-Hemoglobin C disease-Hereditary spherocytosis-Idiopathic autoimmune hemolytic anemia-Paroxysmal cold hemoglobinuria (PCH)-Paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH)-Sickle cell anemia-Thalassemia. An arterial blood gas (ABG) is a bloo...
Red blood cells are carriers of oxygen. A percentage of these cells contain hemoglobin, which has the capacity to combine with iron. It's the iron-hemoglobin molecular structure that helps carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to your tissues and in return, delivers carbon dioxide back to the lungs to be expelled. A CBC with Differential that shows low red blood cell levels can indicate anemia. RBCs comprise about 40% of total blood volume; the RBC count is the number of red blood cells per cubic millimeter of blood (Rauen, 2012). Normal red blood cells values vary a...
The transport system in our body that carries blood is known as the circulatory system. This system allows the blood to carry essential nutrients such as amino acids, oxygen, and hormones to the cells in all parts of our body to ensure they are able to maintain body temperature and pH known as homeostasis. The oxygen-rich blood enables cellular respiration to occur efficiently which is vital for humans to continue to survive. It also carries cellular waste such as carbon dioxide which is not needed by the body back to the lungs and out to the environment during exhalation. Blood consists of red blood cell to transport oxygen to cells in our body, white blood cell to combat diseases and pathogens, platelets to stop bleeding, and
Red Blood Cells contain hemoglobin molecules to help bind to oxygen to bring to other tissues. Without this function, cells would not be able to go through the process of cellular respiration and can only survive a short time. Red Blood Cells are also able to carry bicarbonate as a waste product and carry a variety of hormones to communicate between organs.