Specialized Unit: Why Do Only Black People Get Sickle Cell

It occurs when the body produces sickle-shaped or crescent like red blood cells that is due to the presence of hemoglobin S or sickle hemoglobin within the blood cells. The majority of persons who tested Positive on Sickle Testing in the early days were Black but later White people.

What Is Sickle Cell Disease Cdc

MedlinePlus defines sickle cell anemia as a disease in which your body produces abnormally shaped red blood cells.

Why do only black people get sickle cell. Sickle cells can get stuck and block blood flow causing pain and infections. The trait is thought to have originated in Africa as an adaptive response to malaria Many researchers believe that racial discrimination plays a major role in the care that sickle-cell. The disease occurs in about 1 out of 400 black racial Americans and 1 out of 16000.

Sickle cell is due to a single genetic mutation. It is more common in people of African descent but the sickle cell trait can also affect Hispanics South Asians Caucasians from southern Europe as well as people. Those whose blood cells turned sickle shape in a reasonably short time were found to have sickle cell anaemia while those whose blood cells took a long time to show sickle cells were termed sickle cell trait especially when they were perfectly healthy and were not anaemic.

So most of sickle trait occurred originally in africa but now this disease is seen in many other ethnic groups. Yes and No. Sickle cell anemia occurs when a person inherits two abnormal genes one from each parent that cause their red blood cells to change shape.

The production of sickle cells is viewed to have been caused by an error within the genes or a kind of mutation that enables the body to produce unusual and defective red blood cells. Just like black people with blue eyes can be assumed to have Caucasian ancestors unless they have a gene from one other ethnic group that also has blue eyes when a white person has sickle cell anemia it is safe to assume that at least 2 ancestors came from. Thus there are many people with sickle trait in africa.

Researchers believe this could. This leads to anemia. The sickle cells also get stuck in blood vessels blocking blood flow.

They dont last as long as normal round red blood cells. Whats the difference between sickle cell disease and sickle cell trait. Instead of being flexible and round these cells are more rigid and curved in the shape of the farm tool known as a sickle thats where the disease gets its name.

Sickle cell diseaseSCD is an inherited red blood cell disorder affecting people of all races not just African Americans. People with one sickle cell gene carry SCT which typically does not cause severe disease. Just like the color of their skin and eyes children with sickle cell disease are born with it.

This may have occurred in several areas but in africa those who were born with sickle cell trait were more likely to survive a malaria infection. White people do not usually get sickle cell anemia for the same reason black people do not usually have blue eyes. This can cause pain and organ damage.

Although 8 to 10 percent of African Americans carry sickle cell trait 1 to 3 million Americans have this disorder. Complications of sickle cell disease occur because the sickled cells block blood flow to specific organs. Sickle cell disease is an autosomal recessive genetic disease meaning that children inherit the disease from both.

The cells are shaped like a crescent or sickle. The genes by which a person inherits skin color are different from the genes for inheriting sickle cell trait and disease. In sickle cell disease the hemoglobin is abnormal causing the red blood cells to be rigid and shaped like a C or sickle the shape from which the disease takes its name.

In all those regions both dark and light skin people can carry copies of the sickle cell genes. Therefore in the US where many people marry others with different skin colors kids can be born with sickle cell trait or disease and have any skin color. Most black men theyre strong and able to do a lot of stuff but we cant do as much because our body is weak and our organs are breaking down and being attacked by sickle cell disease on.

However African Americans are at a much higher risk of experiencing SCD.

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