Sickle Cell Anemia Case Study

Diagnosis - A blood test can check for hemoglobin S - the defective form of hemoglobin that underlies Sickle Cell Anemia. In adults, a blood sample is drawn from veins. Sickle Cell Anemia is most often found at birth during the routine screening tests at the hospital. In addition, SCD can be diagnosed before birth.
Detection - The cells get stuck in small capillaries of the blood stream leading to oxygen deprivation that causes pain and organ damage. Sickle Cell Anemia is caused by a single point mutation in the hemoglobin gene that results in a defective protein.