what is sickel cell?

Question

i have a friend that has it and i wanna be aware of it . is it contageous?

Answer 1

no its not contagius only way they will pass it on is to their child its heredetory. sickle cell anemia is when your red blood cells are crecent shaped instead of being round so they carry less oxygen to your body and can cause issues later on. your safe from getting it unless you r your friends kid. its not fatal by nature but its not a god thing that sux for your friend realy bad poor guy/girl.

also its most common in african-americans even tho that has nothing to do with your question

Answer 2

i believe the correct term is sickle-cell anemia. anemia is a condition where the blood lacks sufficient red blood cells. normal cells are typically shaped like a disc or a dough nut without the hole. sickle-cell is a genetic condition in which the red blood cells are deformed and shaped like a sickle. the abnormally shaped cells do not move through the blood as easily as normal ones and cause blocks in blood flow. they also die very quickly and the body cannot make new ones as fast. this results in a low level of red blood cells which is called anemia.

this is a genetic condition and is not contagious at all. in fact a person needs to have two of the sickle cell genes in order to have the disease. if someone just has one copy of the gene, they will not have disease but will be capable of passing the gene on to their kids.

so you have nothing to worry about regarding getting the disease yourself. however if this friend is someone you may have a child with, you would want to be genetically tested yourself to know if your child has a risk of being afflicted.

if you wish to know more, you can look it up on a site like webMD or the official website of the National Institute of Health.

Answer 3

It is not contagious. Sickle Cell Anemia is a genetic blood disorder where your red blood cells are not round, but more of a 'sickle' shape, like a crescent moon. It is a DNA mutation that has survived a long time because those who have Sickle Cell Anemia cannot get malaria, and so in countries where malaria is very common, having sickle cell anemia actually is a defense mechanism for the body.

Answer 4

Sickle cell anemia is an inherited / non contagious disease in which the red blood cells, normally disc - shaped, become crescent shaped. As a result, they function abnormally and cause small blood clots. These clots give rise to recurrent painful episodes - naturally called Sickle cell crisis.

ALTERNATIVE NAMES USED FOR SICKLE CELL ARE AS FOLLOWED:
-anemia - sickle cell;
-Hemoglobin SS disease (Hbss);
-Sickle cell disease

CAUSES, INCIDENCE, AND RISK FACTORS:
-Sickle cell anemia is caused by an abnormal type of hemoglobin called hemoglobin S. Hemoglobin is a protein inside red blood cells that carries oxygen. Hemoglobin S, however reduces the amount of oxygen inside the cells, distoring their shape. The fragile, sickle shaped cell delivers less oxygen to the body's tissues, and can break into pieces that will distrupt the blood flow.
Sickle cell anemia is inherited as an autosomal recessive trait, which means it occurs in someone who has inherited hemoglobin S from both parents. Sickle cell disease is much more common in certain ethnic groups, effecting approximately one in every 500 African Americans. Someone who inherits hemoglobin S from one parent and normal hemoglobin (A) from the other parent and normal hemoglobin A from the other parent will have sickle cell trait. Someone who inherits hemoglobin S from one parent and another type of abnormal hemoglobin from the other parent would have another form of sickle cell diseade, such as thalassemia.

SYMPTOMS OF SICKLE CELL INCLUDE:
-paleness
-yellow eyes
-fatigue
-breathleddnedd
-rapid heart rate
-delayed growth & puberty
-susceptible to infections
-ulcers on the lower leg
-jaundice - (yellowish to the skin)
-bone pain
-abdominal attacks
-fever
-bloody urine
-frequent urination
-excessive thirst
-painful erection
-chest pain
-poor vision - blindness

SIGNS AND TESTS THE FIRST 3 ARE THE MOST COMMON:
-CBC (complete blood count)
-hemoglobin electrophoresis
-sickle cell test

-peripheral smear displaying Sickle cell
-urinary casts or blood in the urine
-hemoglobin; serum decreased
-elevated billirubin
-high WBCC - (WHITE BLOOD CELL COUNT)
-elevated serum creatine
-blood oxygen saturated may be decreased
-CT scan / MRI scan can display strokes in certain circumstances.

Answer 5

Symtoms of Sickle cell

Painful events (crises) in the hands or feet, abdomen, or chest are the most common symptom of sickle cell disease. This pain may last from hours to days. Many people with sickle cell disease experience anemia. Symptoms of anemia include feeling weak and tired. People with sickle cell anemia can appear pale or washed out, or have a yellowish look to their skin and the whites of their eyes (jaundice).

When a child is born with sickle cell disease, it isn't possible to predict which symptoms will develop, when they will start, or how severe they will be. Most symptoms of sickle cell disease are related to either long-term (chronic) anemia or blood vessels blocked by sickled cells.

Cause of Sickle cell

Sickle cell disease is an inherited disorder. More specifically, sickle cell disease is an autosomal recessive disease. This means that to have the disease, you must inherit a gene for the disease from both parents.

Normally, a person inherits two genes that tell the body to produce normal hemoglobin A. One gene comes from each parent.
People who inherit one defective hemoglobin S gene and one normal hemoglobin A gene have sickle cell trait. These people don't have symptoms of sickle cell disease, nor do their bodies make sickled blood cells. However, they can pass the defective hemoglobin S gene to their children.
Sickle cell anemia occurs when a person inherits one defective hemoglobin S gene from each parent.
Similar sickle cell disorders occur when a person inherits a hemoglobin S gene from one parent and another type of defective hemoglobin gene from the other parent. Sickle cell disease is a sickle cell disorder.
For more information, see autosomal recessive disease and an illustration of this risk.

Medication

Medications that treat sickle cell disease include hydroxyurea and various pain medications. Some of these medications require a prescription. Others are available over-the-counter (no prescription). Pain medication may work best when combined with pain management skills, such as distraction, guided imagery, deep breathing, relaxation, and positive, encouraging self-talk.

Hydroxyurea is a drug that treats some cancers. It's also approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating sickle cell disease in adults. Hydroxyurea increases fetal hemoglobin production, which can lessen the severity of sickle cell disease and can prolong life for severely affected adults. Recent research suggests that hydroxyurea also works well for children. However, long-term studies are needed before hydroxyurea is routinely suggested for children. 6, 12

Medication Choices

Medications that treat sickle cell disease include hydroxyurea and various pain medications. Some of these medications require a prescription. Others are available over-the-counter (no prescription). Pain medication may work best when combined with pain management skills, such as distraction, guided imagery, deep breathing, relaxation, and positive, encouraging self-talk.

Hydroxyurea is a drug that treats some cancers. It's also approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treating sickle cell disease in adults. Hydroxyurea increases fetal hemoglobin production, which can lessen the severity of sickle cell disease and can prolong life for severely affected adults. Recent research suggests that hydroxyurea also works well for children. However, long-term studies are needed before hydroxyurea is routinely suggested for children. 6, 12

more info
http://health.yahoo.com/ency/healthwise/hw254173

Answer 6

It is a type of anemia. No, it's not contagious and it is common among African Americans.

Answer 7

its called sickle cell disease, NO its not contagious. you should research it at mayoclinic.com or webmd.com they are excellent websites for looking up diseases. its too long to try and explain it here.

Answer 8

no its an inborn genetic trait of black people. geeze

Answer 9

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sicklecellanemia.html