Awareness Month promotes better understanding of Sickle Cell Anemia
S ickle cell anemia is a worldwide disease. The disease is most common in people who trace their ancestry to areas of the world such as: Central America, Greece, India, Italy, Saudi Arabia, South America, sub-Saharan Africa, and the Caribbean. In the United States, more than 70,000 people are inflicted with sickle cell anemia. In the U.S. the disease is of particular concern for African Americans. Sickle cell anemia occurs in 1 in every 500 African American births. C urrently, there is no universal cure for sickle cell anemia – which is an inherited blood disorder. People who have the disease suffer from abnormally (sickle) shaped blood cells. Normal red blood cells last about 120 days, whereas sickle cell shaped blood cells last only 10 to 20 days. Normal blood cells are a smooth circular shape. In sickle cell patients, the misshaped blood cells cannot move sufficiently through the body’s small blood vessels. Common medical problems associated with the disease are: chronic ep