sickle cell

• Sickle cell anemia occurs when a person inherits two abnormal genes (one from each parent) that cause their red blood cells to change shape.
• Instead of being flexible and round, these cells are more rigid and curved (like a crescent)
• Sickle cell anemia occurs when an abnormal form of hemoglobin (HbS) is produced.
• HbS molecules tend to clump together, making red blood cells sticky, stiff, and more fragile, and causing them to form into a curved, sickle shape.
• Instead of moving through the bloodstream easily, these sickle cells can clog blood vessels and deprive the body's tissues and organs of the oxygen they need to stay healthy.
• Surface area also decreased, thus less oxygen is carried by the blood
• Unlike normal red blood cells that last about 4 months in the bloodstream, fragile sickle cells break down after only about 10 to 20 days, which usually causes anemia.
• Anemia is what happens when the body's number of red blood cells (or amount of hemoglobin) falls below normal.