According to the White House, approximately 72,000 Americans are living with Sickle Cell Disease and 2 million Americans carry the genetic trait for the disease. As the most commonly inherited blood disorder in the United States, it’s time to raise awareness. There’s no better time than September to do so, as September is deemed Sickle Cell Disease Awareness month.
When diagnosed with Sickle Cell Disease, red blood cells become curved, causing the cells to pass through blood vessels easily and carrying oxygen throughout the body. Curved blood cells can get stuck, block blood vessels and can prevent oxygen from getting through. Sickle Cell Disease can cause many long term and short term issues. To learn more about side effects, read here.
The most common side effect results in anemia. Getting tested and encouraging others to get tested for Sickle Cell Anemia is important, to stay ahead of such diseases. Normal results show no Hemoglobin S, the most common type of abnormal hemoglobin suggesting Sickle Cell Disease, in the blood. High results suggest a trait of Sickle Cell Disease or the actual disease.
To learn more about Sickle Cell Disease, visit http://www.sicklecelldisease.org/.
