via BlackDoctor: Sickle cell anemia is a painful disease that changes the shape of red blood cells. Instead of being flexible, the blood cells are curved and stiff. These sickle-shaped blood cells don’t flow through blood vessels without challenge and can easily clog the vessels. CLICK HERE to read story
via BlackDoctor: Charlotte Curtis was diagnosed at birth with Sickle Cell Disease (SC). Sickle Cell Disease is an inherited blood disorder that blocks the flow of oxygen throughout the body which causes many complications including organ damage. Growing up, Charlotte was active in the Sickle Cell community and had a desire to bring more awareness […]
via BlackDoctor/(Photo credit: CBSNews.com/Youtube): 60 Minutes recently reported on a gene therapy trial that may be a cure for patients living with the bone-crushing pain of sickle cell disease. Gene therapy locates and fixes the genes responsible for different diseases. Pain from sickle cell can occur anywhere blood circulates. That’s because red blood cells, normally round-shaped, […]
via BlackAmericaWeb: Jordin Sparks has teamed up with an inspiring new project called Generation S to bring attention to and tell real stories of sickle cell disease. Sparks lost her 16-year-old step sister Bryanna to sickle cell earlier this year. She remembers her as being a “vibrant,” happy teen. So seeing her struggle with this disease was hard, but it […]
via BlackDoctor: One out of every 400 African-Americans in the United States is born with sickle cell disease, a debilitating, extremely painful condition. Patients with sickle cell disease suffer from abnormally shaped, rigid and adhesive red blood cells. These abnormal cells serve as a barrier to blood vessels and cause “sickle cell crises,” an enduring […]
via BlackDoctor: One out of every 400 African-Americans in the United States is born with sickle cell disease, a debilitating, extremely painful condition. Patients with sickle cell disease suffer from abnormally shaped, rigid and adhesive red blood cells. These abnormal cells serve as a barrier to blood vessels and cause “sickle cell crises,” an enduring […]
via BlackDoctor: Sickle cell disease increases the risk of stroke for blacks – but recent research shows carrying the genetic trait for sickle cell doesn’t. It’s a new layer on the study and treatment of these inherited conditions affecting red blood cells, and experts say it should prompt doctors to dig deeper. Past studies have […]
via BlackDoctor: Common illnesses, like the flu, can quickly become dangerous, especially for a person with sickle cell disease. Studies have shown that people with sickle cell disease, especially children, are more likely to have flu complications that result in hospitalization and occasionally even death. So what can you do to help protect yourself and your family? […]
via BCNN1: Lead singer T-Boz of the beloved girl group TLC just released a candid memoir about her life and struggles and says God has kept her alive way beyond the doctor’s expectancy. “That’s the reality of my life. I have sickle cell and I’ve also had an awesome life as well, one I was […]
via BlackDoctor: Kamryn Dukes, called Kami for short, is a warm, eloquent and motivated 11-year-old whose dream job is to become a professional singer and actress. She also wants to become a scientist. Kami and her family lives in Oklahoma City, and she loves attending school, but her lifelong illness – sickle cell disease – […]
“You’re too pretty to have a disease,” declared the nurse in the emergency department (ED) dismissing Constance Benson’s reports of unbearable pain, a byproduct of her sickle cell disease (SCD). Constance, who is in her late twenties, is a professional actress and model living in Kennesaw, GA. It wasn’t until Constance’s blood tests came back […]
Many people living with sickle cell disease (SCD) undergo blood transfusions to improve the amount of oxygen-carrying blood cells to vital organs. But one complication that SCD patients face post-transfusion is iron overload (hemochromatosis); a condition leading to dangerously high levels of iron in the liver, heart and other organs. If untreated, the built up iron […]
