What is the difference between sickle cell anemia and anemia

May 1983

Arch Intern Med. 1983;143(5):1030-1032. doi:10.1001/archinte.1983.00350050194038

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• In a patient with sickle cell anemia, iron deficiency was accompanied by hypochromic, microcytic RBCs, absence of bone marrow iron, and a low serum ferritin level. The mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration (MCHC) was decreased (27.6 g/dL) and was associated with an extreme scarcity of sickled erythrocytes in blood smears. Iron therapy resulted in reticulocytosis and an increase in sickled erythrocytes. In vitro studies demonstrated a decrease in sickling of erythrocytes as a function of oxygen saturation of the blood when the patient was iron deficient. The whole blood oxygen dissociation curve showed a substantial decrease in oxygen pressure necessary to produce 50% saturation of hemoglobin at pH 7.4 and 37 °C (P50), indicating an increased oxygen affinity. These data suggest that a reduction of the MCHC induced by iron deficiency may ameliorate sickling.

(Arch Intern Med 1983;143:1030-1032)

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Also called: Hemoglobin SS disease, Sickle cell anemia

Summary

What is sickle cell disease (SCD)?

Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of inherited red blood cell disorders. If you have SCD, there is a problem with your hemoglobin. Hemoglobin is a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen throughout the body. With SCD, the hemoglobin forms into stiff rods within the red blood cells. This changes the shape of the red blood cells. The cells are supposed to be disc-shaped, but this changes them into a crescent, or sickle, shape.

The sickle-shaped cells are not flexible and cannot change shape easily. Many of them burst apart as they move through your blood vessels. The sickle cells usually only last 10 to 20 days, instead of the normal 90 to 120 days. Your body may have trouble making enough new cells to replace the ones that you lost. Because of this, you may not have enough red blood cells. This is a condition called anemia, and it can make you feel tired.

The sickle-shaped cells can also stick to vessel walls, causing a blockage that slows or stops the flow of blood. When this happens, oxygen can't reach nearby tissues. The lack of oxygen can cause attacks of sudden, severe pain, called pain crises. These attacks can occur without warning. If you get one, you might need to go to the hospital for treatment.

What causes sickle cell disease (SCD)?

The cause of SCD is a defective gene, called a sickle cell gene. People with the disease are born with two sickle cell genes, one from each parent.

If you are born with one sickle cell gene, it's called sickle cell trait. People with sickle cell trait are generally healthy, but they can pass the defective gene on to their children.

Who is at risk for sickle cell disease (SCD)?

In the United States, most of the people with SCD are African Americans:

  • About 1 in 13 African American babies is born with sickle cell trait
  • About 1 in every 365 black children is born with sickle cell disease

SCD also affects some people who come from Hispanic, southern European, Middle Eastern, or Asian Indian backgrounds.

What are the symptoms of sickle cell disease (SCD)?

People with SCD start to have signs of the disease during the first year of life, usually around 5 months of age. Early symptoms of SCD may include:

  • Painful swelling of the hands and feet
  • Fatigue or fussiness from anemia
  • A yellowish color of the skin (jaundice) or the whites of the eyes (icterus)

The effects of SCD vary from person to person and can change over time. Most of the signs and symptoms of SCD are related to complications of the disease. They may include severe pain, anemia, organ damage, and infections.

How is sickle cell disease (SCD) diagnosed?

A blood test can show if you have SCD or sickle cell trait. All states now test newborns as part of their screening programs, so treatment can begin early.

People who are thinking about having children can have the test to find out how likely it is that their children will have SCD.

Doctors can also diagnose SCD before a baby is born. That test uses a sample of amniotic fluid (the liquid in the sac surrounding the baby) or tissue taken from the placenta (the organ that brings oxygen and nutrients to the baby).

What are the treatments for sickle cell disease (SCD)?

The only cure for SCD is bone marrow or stem cell transplantation. Because these transplants are risky and can have serious side effects, they are usually only used in children with severe SCD. For the transplant to work, the bone marrow must be a close match. Usually, the best donor is a brother or sister.

There are treatments that can help relieve symptoms, lessen complications, and prolong life:

  • Antibiotics to try to prevent infections in younger children
  • Pain relievers for acute or chronic pain
  • Hydroxyurea, a medicine that has been shown to reduce or prevent several SCD complications. It increases the amount of fetal hemoglobin in the blood. This medicine is not right for everyone; talk to your health care provider about whether you should take it. This medicine is not safe during pregnancy.
  • Childhood vaccinations to prevent infections
  • Blood transfusions for severe anemia. If you have had some serious complications, such as a stroke, you may have transfusions to prevent more complications.

There are other treatments for specific complications.

To stay as healthy as possible, make sure that you get regular medical care, live a healthy lifestyle, and avoid situations that may set off a pain crisis.

NIH: National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute

Start Here

  • Facts about Sickle Cell Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
  • Sickle Cell Disease (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish
  • Sickle Cell Disease (SCD) (National Marrow Donor Program)
  • What Is Sickle Cell Disease?
    What is the difference between sickle cell anemia and anemia
    (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute)
    Also in Spanish

  • Living Well with Sickle Cell Disease (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
  • Sickle Cell Crisis (Pain Crisis) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

  • A1C Test and Race/Ethnicity
    What is the difference between sickle cell anemia and anemia
    (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases)
  • Five Tips to Help Prevent Infections (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish
  • Hemoglobin C, S-C, and E Diseases (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish
  • Sickle Cell Disease and Pulmonary Hypertension (Pulmonary Hypertension Association) - PDF

  • Sickle Cell Disease Quiz (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

  • Hemoglobin electrophoresis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Sickle cell anemia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish
  • Sickle cell test (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

Is sickle cell anemia the same as anemia?

Sickled cells keep red blood cells from doing their job, which is carrying oxygen throughout your body. Sickled cells also don't live as long as normal red blood cells. As a result, you don't have enough healthy red blood cells and you develop anemia, the condition that gives sickle cell anemia its name.

How is sickle cell anemia different from normal blood?

Normally, red blood cells are disc-shaped and flexible enough to move easily through the blood vessels. If you have sickle cell disease, your red blood cells are crescent- or “sickle”-shaped. These cells do not bend or move easily and can block blood flow to the rest of your body.

What sickle cell anemia means?

(SIH-kul sel uh-NEE-mee-uh) An inherited disease in which the red blood cells have an abnormal crescent shape, block small blood vessels, and do not last as long as normal red blood cells.

Do all sickle cell patients have anemia?

Anaemia is a lack of haemoglobin in the blood. As mentioned above, people with SCD will usually have a moderate anaemia, which does not usually cause problems. However, at times, people with SCD can get a severe anaemia, which can be serious.