While healthy red blood cells are flexible and round so they can flow easily through the blood vessels while carrying oxygen and other nutrients to your body, patients with sickle cell anemia have red blood cells that are rigid, sticky and abnormally formed in the shape of a crescent moon (or sickle). This condition causes the cells to become stuck in small blood vessels, thereby slowing or obstructing normal blood flow. Sickle cell anemia is a hereditary condition that can only be passed on when a person’s mother and father both possess a specific gene that carries it. Common symptoms include generalized pain that comes and goes, ongoing fatigue, swelling in the hands and feet, vision problems, delayed growth in children and frequent illnesses caused by infections. While no cure currently exists for sickle cell anemia, a typical treatment protocol may include antibiotic medications, pain relievers, blood transfusions and stem cell or bone marrow transplantation.
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