Also called: Also called: Hemoglobin SS disease
Sickle cell anemia is a disease in which your body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells. The cells are shaped like a crescent or sickle. They don't last as long as normal, round red blood cells, which leads to anemia. The sickle cells also get stuck in blood vessels, blocking blood flow. This can cause pain and organ damage.
A genetic problem causes sickle cell anemia. People with the disease are born with two sickle cell genes, one from each parent. If you only have one sickle cell gene, it's called sickle cell trait. About 1 in 12 African Americans has sickle cell trait. A blood test can show if you have the trait or anemia. Most states test newborn babies as part of their newborn screening programs.
- Genetics Home Reference: Sickle cell disease(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=sicklecelldisease
- Sickle Cell Anemia(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Sca/SCA_WhatIs.html
- About Sickle Cell Disease(Sickle Cell Disease Association of America) - http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/about_scd/
- Sickle Cell Anemia(Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research) - http://www.mayoclinic.com/print/sickle-cell-anemia/DS00324/DSECTION=all&METHOD=print
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Sickle Cell Disease(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/professionals/14332_1221.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9388_9967.asp
- Blood Smear(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/blood_smear/test.html
- Complete Blood Count(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/cbc/test.html
- Hemoglobin Variants(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/hemoglobin_var/glance.html
- Sickle Cell Anemia with Pain(DSHI Systems) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.freemd.com/sickle-cell-anemia-with-pain/visit-virtual-doctor.htm
- Sickle Cell Tests(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/sickle/glance-2.html
- Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplantation(Leukemia & Lymphoma Society) - Large PDF file - http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org/attachments/National/br_1203086953.pdf
- Genetic Counseling(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/system/medical/genetic_counseling.html
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Newborn Screening Tests(March of Dimes Birth Defects Foundation) - http://www.marchofdimes.com/pnhec/298_834.asp
Also available in Spanish http://www.nacersano.org/centro/9256_9689.asp
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Sickle Cell Disease: Practical Tips for Preventing a Sickle Cell Crisis(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/blood/550.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/common/blood/550.printerview.html
- Sickle Cell Pain(Beth Israel Medical Center, Dept. of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care) - http://www.stoppain.org/pain_medicine/content/chronicpain/sickle.asp
- For People of African, Mediterranean, or Southeast Asian Heritage: Important Information about Diabetes Blood Tests(National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases) - http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/traitA1C/index.htm
- Hemoglobin C, S-C, and E Diseases(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec14/ch172/ch172h.html
- High Blood Pressure in the Lungs a Major Risk for Death in Adults with Sickle Cell Disease(National Institutes of Health, Clinical Center) - http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2004/cc-25.htm
- Sickle Cell Disease: 10 Things You Need to Know(Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - http://www.cdc.gov/Features/Sicklecell/
- What Is Sickle Cell Disease?(Dolan DNA Learning Center) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.yourgenesyourhealth.org/sickle/whatisit.htm
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Anemia, Sickle Cell(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Anemia,+Sickle+Cell%22
- Genetics Home Reference: Sickle cell disease(National Library of Medicine) - http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition=sicklecelldisease
- Learning about Sickle Cell Disease(National Human Genome Research Institute) - http://www.genome.gov/page.cfm?pageID=10001219
- Children with Sickle Cell Disease 221 More Likely to Suffer Stroke(American Heart Association) - http://americanheart.mediaroom.com/index.php?s=43&item=488
- Pain and Health Care Visits in Patients with Sickle Cell Disease(American College of Physicians) - http://www.annals.org/cgi/content/full/148/2/I-36
- Sickle Cell Research for Treatment and Cure(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - Large PDF file - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/docs/scd30/scd30.pdf
- Article: Management of sickle cell disease. - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18779222&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: High risk of vitamin D deficiency in children with sickle... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18755325&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Zinc supplementation decreases oxidative stress, incidence of infection, and generation... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18674741&tool=MedlinePlus
- Sickle Cell Anemia -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=anemia,sickle+cell[majr]+AND+english[la]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+(review[pt]+OR+guideline[pt]+OR+clinical+trial[pt]+OR+jsubsetaim[text]+OR+jsubsetn[text]+OR+jsubsetk[text]+OR+patient+education+handout[pt])+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary(Sickle Cell Disease Association of America) - http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/about_scd/glossary.phtml
- Sickle Cell Clinics, Contacts, and Resources(Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Health System) - http://www.SCInfo.org/clinics.htm
- National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- Save Babies through Screening Foundation - http://www.savebabies.org/
- Sickle Cell Disease Association of America - http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/
- Sickle Cell Information Center(Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Health System) - http://www.SCInfo.org/
- Sickle Cell Disease: Americans with Disabilities Act(Georgia Comprehensive Sickle Cell Center at Grady Health System) - http://www.SCInfo.org/adainfo.htm
- Who Is Affected?(Sickle Cell Disease Association of America) - http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/about_scd/affected1.phtml
- Do You Know about Sickle Cell Anemia?(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/health_problems/blood/sickle_cell.html
- Sickle Cell Disease(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/heart/sickle_cell_anemia.html
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Sickle Cell Disease in Children(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/children/parents/special/birth/621.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/children/parents/special/birth/621.printerview.html
- Truth about Transfusions(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/kid/feel_better/things/transfusions.html
- Sickle Cell Anemia(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/genetic/sickle_cell_anemia.html
- Blood, Heart and Circulation - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/bloodheartandcirculation.html
- Genetics/Birth Defects - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/geneticsbirthdefects.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Sickle Cell Anemia is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/