Free Essays on Sickle Cell Anemia

There have been many researches and tests done on the genetic causes of Sickle Cell Anemia and how it developes, as well as it’s effects on the circulatory, muscular, and respiratory systems, as well as it’s effects on the joints and other systems of the body, and the complications associated with them. Most of the research has been done to explore on the reasons why it mostly effects the African-American community and people who are from the West Coast of Africa. It has also been known that Sickle Cell Anemia also effects people from the Mediterranean countries (Wethers, 2000) Sickle Cell Anemia is a the most common single gene disorder found mostly among Black Americans (Wethers, 2000). According to scientific research, it affects approximately one in 375 persons of African ancestry. According to one researcher, â€Å"Sickle Cell conditions are also found to be in persons from Mediterranean countries also, such as Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent†( Wethers, 2000, p.1014). Extensive research has also proved that Spanish speaking persons in the United States, plus people from the Caribbean and South and Central America, are also effected by Sickle Cell Anemia (Wethers, 2000) The first case of Sickle Cell Anemia was first published in 1910 by scientists, and has since then been followed by at least six decades of many observations, which include genetic, molecular, and pathologic observations (Wethers, 2000) Large bodies of clinical data has on the evolution of Sickle Cell Anemia from birth has been gathered on studies of children since the 1970’s (Wethers, 2000) The United States has studied 3,500 patients Page 2 with the Sickle Cell disease, and based on these studies, the longevity and quality of life of these patients have greatly improved (Wethers, 2000). It has been researched and proven that Sickle Cell Anemia have come from mutations within the human genes that is associated with being imm... Free Essays on Sickle Cell Anemia Free Essays on Sickle Cell Anemia Sickle cell anemia is an autonomic recessive disorder in which abnormal hemoglobin leads to chronic hemolytic anemia along with periodic episodes of pain. The mutation in hemoglobin sickle cell anemia is a blood condition primarily affecting people of African ancestry. It has been researched and proven that the error in the hemoglobin gene results from a genetic mutation that occurred many thousands of years ago in people in parts of Africa, the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, and India. It is associated with being immune to malaria, a parasitic blood disease that is carried and contracted by infected mosquitoes. Since malaria is mostly found in hot, moist areas in West Africa and the Mediterranean, people originating from that area produced an immunity to towards malaria, but with consequences (Bloom). The individual will not contract malaria because the mutation in his/her genes quickly fight off the disease by changing the shape and composition make-up of the blood cell so the parasites will not be able to survive in it (Van Cleve, Lemerond). The consequence of this is that because the individual’s blood cells mutate and become misshaped, becoming â€Å"moon crescent† or â€Å"sickle-shaped†, the blood cells then grows and becomes to big to pass through most blood vessels, mostly capillaries and veins, which causes it to form a clumped together mass. The blood vessel where this happens is mostly associated with the joints and the lungs. Unlike normal red blood cells, which last about 120 days in the bloodstream, sickled red cells die after only about 10 to 20 days. Because they cannot be replaced fast enough, the blood is chronically short of red blood cells, a condition called anemia. When this happens, the child or adult experiences great amounts of pain, making it almost impossible for them to ambulate. The joints get swollen and red. Another condition is that the clump of misshaped blood cells still can travel ... Free Essays on Sickle Cell Anemia There have been many researches and tests done on the genetic causes of Sickle Cell Anemia and how it developes, as well as it’s effects on the circulatory, muscular, and respiratory systems, as well as it’s effects on the joints and other systems of the body, and the complications associated with them. Most of the research has been done to explore on the reasons why it mostly effects the African-American community and people who are from the West Coast of Africa. It has also been known that Sickle Cell Anemia also effects people from the Mediterranean countries (Wethers, 2000) Sickle Cell Anemia is a the most common single gene disorder found mostly among Black Americans (Wethers, 2000). According to scientific research, it affects approximately one in 375 persons of African ancestry. According to one researcher, â€Å"Sickle Cell conditions are also found to be in persons from Mediterranean countries also, such as Turkey, the Arabian peninsula, and the Indian subcontinent†( Wethers, 2000, p.1014). Extensive research has also proved that Spanish speaking persons in the United States, plus people from the Caribbean and South and Central America, are also effected by Sickle Cell Anemia (Wethers, 2000) The first case of Sickle Cell Anemia was first published in 1910 by scientists, and has since then been followed by at least six decades of many observations, which include genetic, molecular, and pathologic observations (Wethers, 2000) Large bodies of clinical data has on the evolution of Sickle Cell Anemia from birth has been gathered on studies of children since the 1970’s (Wethers, 2000) The United States has studied 3,500 patients Page 2 with the Sickle Cell disease, and based on these studies, the longevity and quality of life of these patients have greatly improved (Wethers, 2000). It has been researched and proven that Sickle Cell Anemia have come from mutations within the human genes that is associated with being imm... Free Essays on Sickle Cell Anemia Sickle cell anemia is an autonomic recessive disorder in which abnormal hemoglobin leads to chronic hemolytic anemia along with periodic episodes of pain. The mutation in hemoglobin sickle cell anemia is a blood condition primarily affecting people of African ancestry. It has been researched and proven that the error in the hemoglobin gene results from a genetic mutation that occurred many thousands of years ago in people in parts of Africa, the Mediterranean basin, the Middle East, and India. It is associated with being immune to malaria, a parasitic blood disease that is carried and contracted by infected mosquitoes. Since malaria is mostly found in hot, moist areas in West Africa and the Mediterranean, people originating from that area produced an immunity to towards malaria, but with consequences (Bloom). The individual will not contract malaria because the mutation in his/her genes quickly fight off the disease by changing the shape and composition make-up of the blood cell so the parasites will not be able to survive in it (Van Cleve, Lemerond). The consequence of this is that because the individual’s blood cells mutate and become misshaped, becoming â€Å"moon crescent† or â€Å"sickle-shaped†, the blood cells then grows and becomes to big to pass through most blood vessels, mostly capillaries and veins, which causes it to form a clumped together mass. The blood vessel where this happens is mostly associated with the joints and the lungs. Unlike normal red blood cells, which last about 120 days in the bloodstream, sickled red cells die after only about 10 to 20 days. Because they cannot be replaced fast enough, the blood is chronically short of red blood cells, a condition called anemia. When this happens, the child or adult experiences great amounts of pain, making it almost impossible for them to ambulate. The joints get swollen and red. Another condition is that the clump of misshaped blood cells still can travel ...