Or register here
Global Search

Trusted Resources: Evidence & Education

Scientific literature and patient education texts

Back to Evidence & Education / Patient Education

Sickle Cell Disease (SCD)

key information

source: Be The Match

year: N/A

summary/abstract:

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a disease of hemoglobin, a molecule that carries oxygen within red blood cells. In SCD, defective hemoglobin causes the red blood cells to become stiff instead of flexible and form a sickle or a crescent.

SCD is an inherited disease, meaning that the disease is passed on from parents to children through genes. Genes are instructions that tell the body how to make all the different substances the body needs to work properly. Since SCD is inherited, the disease is present at birth.

In SCD, a child inherits two defective hemoglobin genes (called hemoglobin S), one from each parent. This causes the body to make faulty hemoglobin. If a child inherits just one defective hemoglobin S gene, and the other hemoglobin gene is normal (hemoglobin A), he or she will have sickle cell trait, and will not have any SCD symptoms.

 

read more

Related Content

To improve your experience on this site, we use cookies. This includes cookies essential for the basic functioning of our website, cookies for analytics purposes, and cookies enabling us to personalize site content. By clicking on 'Accept' or any content on this site, you agree that cookies can be placed. You may adjust your browser's cookie settings to suit your preferences. More Information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close

© 2024 rareLife solutions Inc.

To improve your experience on this site, we use cookies. This includes cookies essential for the basic functioning of our website, cookies for analytics purposes, and cookies enabling us to personalize site content. By clicking on 'Accept' or any content on this site, you agree that cookies can be placed. You may adjust your browser's cookie settings to suit your preferences. More Information

The cookie settings on this website are set to "allow cookies" to give you the best browsing experience possible. If you continue to use this website without changing your cookie settings or you click "Accept" below then you are consenting to this.

Close