Sickle Cell Disease - What Is Sickle Cell Disease? - NHLBI, NIH
Sickle cell disease — also called sickle cell anemia — is a group of inherited disorders that affect hemoglobin , the major protein that carries oxygen in red blood cells. Normally, red blood cells are disc-shaped and flexible so they can move easily through the blood vessels. In sickle cell disease, red blood cells are misshaped, typically ...

Sickle Cell Disease - Causes and Risk Factors | NHLBI, NIH
However, in sickle cell disease, the body has trouble keeping up with the rate that the cells are being destroyed. This can lead to a low number of red blood cells, called anemia. The resulting anemia can cause a person to be easily tired with less energy. Normal red cells and sickled red cells.

Sickle Cell Disease - Treatment | NHLBI, NIH
View fact sheet. Crizanlizumab-tmca is approved for adults and children ages 16 years and older who have sickle cell disease. The medicine is given through an intravenous (IV) line in the vein once a month. The medicine helps prevent blood cells from sticking to blood vessel walls and blocking blood flow.

Hydroxyurea Use for Sickle Cell Disease Fact Sheet
Hydroxyurea is an oral medicine that can help reduce sickle cell disease complications. This fact sheet will provide the facts about hydroxyurea, potential benefits and risks, and questions to ask your healthcare provider. Print Length:

Sickle Cell Disease: Research, Programs, and Progress
Cure Sickle Cell Initiative. A national health education program that aims to bring greater visibility to blood diseases and disorders like anemia, sickle cell disease and others, their diagnosis, treatment and management, and blood safety by translating research for patients and professionals. The NHLBI is a global leader in blood-related ...

Sickle Cell Disease: Milestones in Research and Clinical Progress ...
Overview. Learn about the history of sickle cell disease in the United States, from its discovery in 1910 to the NHLBI legacy of research that has advanced the understanding of sickle cell disease, improved clinical progress, and paved the way for widely available cures. Print Length:

Cure Sickle Cell Initiative - NHLBI, NIH
The Cure Sickle Cell Initiative is an NHLBI-led collaborative research effort that is accelerating the development of gene therapies to cure sickle cell disease. The Initiative identifies and supports promising gene therapies that are currently being tested in multicenter clinical research trials. One of these studies is co-funded by the ...

Sickle Cell Disease - Symptoms | NHLBI, NIH
Serious pain linked with sickle cell disease often requires treatment in a clinic or hospital. Fatigue (extreme tiredness), shortness of breath, dizziness, and irregular heartbeat. These are symptoms of serious anemia. Life-threatening anemia can be caused by conditions such as a splenic sequestration crisis crisis or an aplastic crisis .

Sickle Cell Disease - Diagnosis | NHLBI, NIH
Prenatal screening. Healthcare providers can also diagnose sickle cell disease before a baby is born. This can be done in two ways. The first uses a sample of amniotic fluid (the liquid in the sac surrounding a growing embryo). The second uses a sample taken from the placenta (the organ that attaches the umbilical cord to the womb).

How Sickle Cell Disease May Affect Your Health - NHLBI, NIH
It filters your blood and destroys old blood cells. In people who have sickle cell disease, red blood cells may get trapped in the spleen. This makes the spleen quickly grow larger than normal. Serious anemia can occur when red blood cells get trapped in the spleen. A large spleen may also cause pain in the left side of the belly.