Sickle cell anemia is an inherited disease in which red blood cells in the body are abnormally produced by the bone marrow as crescent-shaped red blood cells. Unlike normal red blood cells, sickle-shaped cells are unable to deliver much oxygen to other parts of the body due to abnormal hemoglobin. Sickle cells are stiff and sticky and tend to clump together between blood vessels, causing pain, organ damage, and infection. If a child inherits this disease, he or she may be healthy for life or need special care. “In the United States, SCD is more common among blacks and Hispanics. SCD affects approximately 1 in 500 black births and approximately 1 in 36,000 Hispanic births in this country. SCD is also common among people with families from Africa, the Caribbean, Greece, India, Italy, Malta, Sardinia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, or South or Central America ( March of Dimes). the child genetically. “If both parents have sickle cell trait (each has one normal hemoglobin gene and one sickle cell gene), the child has a 50% chance of inheriting the sickle cell trait (one normal gene, one sickle cell gene). sickle cell disease), a 25% chance of inheriting the sickle cell trait, sickle cell disease (two sickle cell genes), and a 25% chance of inheriting neither the trait nor the disease (two normal genes) (Harvey)”. Your child may get sickle cell trait or have sickle cell anemia. Sickle cell trait carries the person's abnormal gene but has normal hemoglobin without any symptoms. The patient may begin to develop disease-related symptoms if subjected to stress, infections, exhaustion, or hypoxia with mild anemia. Sickle cell anemia occurs when normal hemoglobin has been replaced with diseased… middle of paper… minophene (NIH).” Additionally, hydroxyurea (Droxia) is prescribed which decreases the rate of recurrence of pain and acute chest syndrome in patients. Sickle cell anemia can be very uncomfortable and painful for those who suffer from its symptoms, disrupting patients' lives. Even though sickle cell disease has no cure, it can still be managed to the point where the patient can live a comfortable life. Works cited "Sickle Cell Anemia and Your Child." Sickle cell anemia and your baby. March of Dimes, March 2013. Web. February 20, 2014. Simmon, Harvey. "Sickle cell anemia." University of Maryland Medical Center. Np, 14 March 2013. Web. 06 February 2014. "Sickle cell disease research: Symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and recent developments | NIH MedlinePlus the journal." United States National Library of Medicine. US National Library of Medicine, 2011. Web. 06 Mar. 2014.