The Crescent Moon Disease: Sickle Cell

The Crescent Moon Disease: Sickle Cell Sickle cell anemia is a disease that is passed throughout families. Sickle cell affects the red blood cells, which cause the blood cells to look like a crescent moon instead of looking like a disc, like the photo included above. There are two types of Sickle cell: Sickle Cell Anemia and Sickle Cell- Hemoglobin C. Sickle Cell Anemia is the less severe one out of the two. Sickle Cell Anemia affects many racial and ethnic groups. One in four hundred African-American newborns have this disease in the United States. African- Americans are not the only group that gets affected. Hispanics, people of the Mediterranean, Middle Eastern descent, and also Asians are affected by this disease.
There are several …show more content…
The average lifespan for Sickle cell anemia is 42 for males and 48 for females. The average lifespan for Sickle cell- hemoglobin C is 60 for males and 68 for females. The reason Sickle Cell can reduce one’s lifespan is because normal red blood cells have a 120 day lifespan but with Sickle cell, the crescent shaped cells can only live for no more than 20 days, which can cause them to get stuck in the blood vessels, which blocks the blood flow. With less blood flow throughout one’s body, the organs are not getting the necessary oxygen that they need. Not only will organs be damaged but so will one’s muscles and …show more content…
When Hydroxyurea is taken daily, it reduces the frequency of painful crisis and may reduce the need for blood transfusions for Sickle Cell patients. Hydroxyurea works by stimulating production of fetal hemoglobin, which is the type of hemoglobin found in newborns that help prevent formation of Sickle cells. Although this medicine sounds like good thing for Sickle Cell patients, there are some concerns that with long term use, it will increase infections. There are also some concerns that it can cause tumors or leukemia in certain