WHAT IS SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA? Sickle Cell Anaemia is an inherited condition that affects the red blood cells. Normally, the red blood cells are flexible and round so that they can easily move through our blood vessels. In Sickle Cell Anaemia, the red blood cells become rigid and sticky, and are shaped like sickles or crescent moons. These irregularly shaped cells get stuck in some blood vessels slowing or blocking the flow of blood and oxygen to parts of the body.
Sickle Cell Anaemia, sometimes also referred to as Sickle Cell Disease, is a serious and lifelong condition, although long-term treatment helps manage many of the problems associated with it. WHAT CAUSES SICKLE CELL ANAEMIA? Sickle Cell Anaemia is caused by a faulty gene that affects how red blood cells develop. Genes come in pairs and all of us inherit one set from our mothers and one set from our fathers. To be born with…
