MEDICAL PROBLEMS AND SYMPTOMS:

Sickle cells are destroyed rapidly in the body causing anemia, jaundice and the formation of gallstones. The sickle cells also block the flow of blood through vessels resulting in:

Lung tissue damage (acute chest syndrome,Pneumonia)

Pain episodes (arms, legs, chest and abdomen)

Priapism (painful prolonged erection and unexpected).

Spleen- (increased risk for serious infections splenic sequestration, large amount of body's blood pooled in it)

Kidneys (bed-wetting, blood in the urine and kidney failure)

Liver (Increased size,Gallstones and Gives yellow color to eyes and skin)

Brain (Stroke and headache)

HOW LONG DOES SOMEONE WITH THE DISEASE LIVE?

CAN HE/SHE HAS A PRODUCTIVE LIFE?

With good health care, many people who have sickle cell anemia can live productive lives. They can have reasonably good health much of the time and live until their forties or fifties, or longer.

If you have sickle cell anemia, it's important to:

• Adopt or maintain a healthy lifestyle
• Take steps to prevent and control complications
• Learn ways to cope with pain.

HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE SICKLE CELL ANIMIA?

ARE PEOPLE OF AFRICAN DESENT THE ONLY GROUP AFFECTED?

It is most common in West and Central Africa where as many as 25% of the people have sickle cell trait and 1-2% of all babies are born with a form of the disease. In the United States there is a percentage about 270 million people which, 1,000 babies of that quantity are born with sickle cell disease each year. In contrast, Nigeria, with an estimated 1997 population of 90 million, 45,000-90,000 babies with sickle cell disease are born each year. Americans ans the caribeeans can reply that was the trasnatlantic treaty the cause of the disease, However, sicklecell disease had already spread from Africa to Southern Europe by the time of the slave trade, until now, across the world.