Sickle Cell Anemia

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Sickle Cell Anemia

• By Alex Lange Roy Darrah

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Inheritance Pattern

• Sickle Cell Anemia is a autosomal reccesive
  pattern.

• Parents can be carriers and show no symptoms of
  the disease.

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Mutations

• Mutations in the HBB gene causes Sickle Cell
  Anemia.
• It consists of four protein subunits, 2
  alphaglobins and 2 betaglobins which form a
  hemoglobin (C,E,S,AS).
• Hemoglobins bind oxygen in a cell, but amino
  acids can switch with betaglobins making the cell
  nonfunctional.

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Incidences

• Sickle Cell Anemia is most common in people with
  African, Mediterranean, and Caribbean ancestors.
• Sickle Cell Anemia is most common inherited blood
  disorder in the US, 70-80 thousand Americans have
  this disorder.
• 1 in 500 African Americans and 1 in 1000 Hispanic
  Americans will have this disorder.

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Symptoms

• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Delayed growth in children
• Yellowing of the eyes and skin
• Cells can get stuck in veins
• Organ damage (lungs, kidneys, spleen, brain)
• High blood pressure

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Treatments

• There is no cure to Sickle Cell Anemia except for
  a bone marrow transplant.

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Lifetime Limitations

• People can live normal lives
• Others should avoid a lot of physical activity
  due to the lack of oxygen and cells
• Stay away from high altitudes
• Ryan Clark plays football for the Steelers and he
  has Sickle Cell Anemia. Even though he struggles
  with extreme exercises and hypoxia from high
  altitudes.