Sickle cell disease is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. Healthy red blood cells are round, and they move through small blood vessels to carry oxygen to all parts of the body. In someone who has SCD, the red blood cells become hard and sticky and look like a C-shaped farm tool called a “sickle”. The sickle cells die early, which causes a constant shortage of red blood cells. Also, when they travel through small blood vessels, they get stuck and clog the blood flow. This can cause pain and other serious problems such infection, acute chest syndrome and stroke.

People who inherit one sickle cell gene and one normal gene have sickle cell trait (SCT). People with SCT usually do not have any of the symptoms of sickle cell disease (SCD), but they can pass the trait on to their children. How Sickle Cell Trait is Inherited? If both parents have SCT, there is a 50% (or 1 in 2) chance that any child of theirs also will have SCT, if the child inherits the sickle cell gene from one of the parents. Such children will not have symptoms of SCD, but they can pass SCT on to their children. If both parents have SCT, there is a 25% (or 1 in 4) chance that any child of theirs will have SCD. There is the same 25% (or 1 in 4) chance that the child will not have SCD or SCT.

While African-Americans are most likely to have sickle cell disease or carry the trait, contrary to the widely held myth about this hereditary blood disorder, it does not exclusively occur in people of African descent. It is present on four continents: sub-Saharan Africa and in the Maghrib; Asia (Middle East, Arabic peninsula, India); the Americas—North (USA), center (Guatemala, Caribbean islands) and South (Brazil, Surinam, Guiana); and Europe (Southern Italy and Sicily, Greece, Turkey).

A bone marrow/stem cell transplant can cure sickle cell disease. A bone marrow/stem cell transplant takes healthy cells that form blood from one person and puts them into someone whose bone marrow is not working properly. This procedure is not without serious side effects, including the possibility of death. For the transplant to work, the bone marrow must be a close match. Usually, the best donor is a brother or sister. Bone marrow/stem cell transplants are used only in cases of severe sickle cell disease for children who have so far developed only minimal organ damage from the disease.

No. Sickle cell disease is inherited and is not spread by contact.

Sickle cell trait is not a disease and it will not change into sickle cell disease. The trait is not life-threatening and people with the trait do not have physical abnormalities, usually do not have symptoms and lead a normal life span.

Yes. If your mate also carries the trait, you have a 25 percent chance of having a child with sickle cell disease, a 50 percent change of having a child with the trait, and a 25 percent chance of having a child without the trait or disease. This is why it is critical that you and your mate get tested for sickle cell and other abnormal hemoglobin before you plan on having a child.

Sickle cell testing is conducted by appointment at the Sickle Cell Foundation’s certified Clinical Laboratory. Call 404-755-1641 to schedule your appointment or fill out the appointment form at http://www.sicklecelltest.org. The foundation also conducts testing at health fairs, special events, community partner facilities, and in public school districts throughout Georgia. For a list of upcoming testing dates, visit http://sicklecellga.org/events/.

Children begin to show signs of the disease during their first year of life, usually around 5 months old. Early symptoms include jaundice, fatigue and painful swelling of the hands and feet.

Women with SCD can have healthy pregnancies, but need to be extra careful to avoid problems during pregnancy that can affect their own health and the health of the unborn baby. SCD symptoms may become more severe. There is a higher risk of preterm labor and of having a low-birthweight baby. However, with early prenatal care and careful monitoring throughout pregnancy, women with sickle cell disease can have a healthy pregnancy.

Vision loss, including blindness, can occur when blood vessels in the eye become blocked with sickle cells, and the retina (the thin layer of tissue inside the back of the eye) gets damaged. People with SCD should have their eyes checked every year to look for damage to the retina. If possible, this should be done by an eye doctor who specializes in diseases of the retina. If the retina is damaged, laser treatment often can prevent further vision loss.

Yes, with early prenatal care and careful monitoring throughout the pregnancy, a woman with SCD can have a healthy pregnancy. However, women with SCD are more likely to have problems during pregnancy that can affect their health and that of their unborn baby. Therefore, they should be seen often by their obstetrician, hematologist, or primary care provider. • During pregnancy, SCD can become more severe and pain episodes can occur more frequently. • A pregnant woman with SCD is at a higher risk of preterm labor and of having a low birth weight baby.

Women who have SCT also can have a healthy pregnancy. • Pregnant women with SCT also should be monitored by their obstetrician or primary care provider for the same health complications as for all pregnant women.