| SICKLE CELL ANEMIA |  When a sperm fertilizes an egg, it results in the combination of two sets of hereditary information, one from the mother and one from the father, to create a new organism which is unlike anything ever created before. The system usually works beautifully and normally, and a healthy baby results. Sometimes, however, something goes wrong. John S., the newborn’s son of Mary and Jon, grew and developed normally for the first eighteen months of his life. However, when john was two years old it became obvious that he was not like other babies. John was lethargic, he tired easily, and he seems to have trouble breathing. Thinking that John might have asthma, Mary and Jon took him to the Doctor. But when the Doctor examined John ‘s blood cells he saw that they were misshapen – instead of being relatively smooth and biconcave, they were sickle- shaped or half moon shaped. John had a disease called Sickle –cell anemia. |
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 Explanation
John ‘s disease was the result of a small mistake – A mutation- in the genetic material of one of his chromosomes. This mutation, in which one of approximately 1700 of the involved base pairs is “wrong”, meaning that John’s body could not correctly produce a complex molecule called Hemoglobin. A protein, hemoglobin is composed of four polypeptides or amino acid chains, and four hem groups. Each red blood cell contains approximately 2.8X108 molecules of hemoglobin the heme groups function by binding to oxygen molecules in the lungs, and later releasing those oxygen molecules into the body’s cells and tissues. Red blood cells which contain the sickle cell hemoglobin take on the characteristic bent shape of a sickle, hence the name of the disease. The body’s immune system often destroys affected red blood cells thus leading to severe anemia and to a marked decrease in the amount of oxygen available to the body. In addition to tiring easily, sickle cell anemia patients may experience abdominal and joint pains, kidney and liver damage and some other symptoms. Anaemia is a word used to describe many different conditions having to do with disorders of the blood. These conditions exist when the blood does not contain the normal number of red cells, or when the cells do not have the normal amount of hemoglobin.Anaemia can be caused by poor blood formation, the destruction of cells, or by too much loss of blood. In addition, these conditions, in turn may be caused by many different body disorders. Therefore, when a doctor treats “ aneamia”, he has to know exactly which type he’s dealing with. One kin of anaemia, for example, can be caused by an injury that results in great loss of blood. Other body fluids seep into the blood to make up the volume, the blood is diluted, and the result may be anaemia.
Another type of anaemia is caused by an increased destruction of red blood cells, which can be the result of several conditions in the body. In some cases, it may be inherited, or it may come from a transfusion of blood of the improper type, severe burns, allergies, or leukaemia. One kind of anaemia many of us know about is nutritional anaemia. The most common and least severe anaemia of this kind develops when there is not enough iron for the formation of red cells. Iron is necessary for the body to manufacture haemoglobin.
Many of the common foods we eat contain only small amounts of iron. In addition, many people cannot afford foods that have a high iron content, Such as meat, eggs, and leafy vegetables. Therefore, iron deficiency is not a rare condition.
The symptoms of this anaemia are generally paleness, weakness, a tendency to tire easily, faintness, and difficulty in breathing. If the patient is able to get enough rest and a good diet, he is usually able to recover quite rapidly.
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