Did you know that sickle cell disease occurs more often among people from parts of the world where malaria is? What Is “Sickle Cell Disease”?

June 19th is established as “World Sickle Cell Day” by the United Nations General assembly. On this 2021 World Sickle Cell Day, we aim to achieve greater awareness about this inherited condition and its cure among the common public.

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition that is inherited from both parents, with the ability to alter the shape and function of the hemoglobin (Hb) from our red blood cells. Sickle cell diseases will cause our red blood cells to be shaped like a crescent moon or a sickle. This condition will harmly stop the blood cells from moving freely around the circulation system. It could also block the small blood vessels if the red blood cells get clumped up, the oxygen they carry will be withheld and causing some pain to the body.

One of the most common symptoms in SCD is anaemia alongside fatigue, unpredictable pain, and jaundice. People with SCD are also at risk of complications, such as chronic pain, stroke, bone damage, acute coronary syndrome, organ failures, up to the psychosocial complications.

Sickle Cell Disease is more common in people from certain ethnic groups, such as sub-Saharan Africans, Hispanic-Americans from Central or South America, and also People of Middle Eastern, Asian, Indian, and Mediterranean countries, namely Turkey, Greece, and Italy.

For more detail information about this condition, visit https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/sicklecell/index.html