SICKLE CELL DISEASE FACT SHEET

Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited blood disorder in the world, according to the South African Medical Journal, with about 70 million people in the world affected. It is commonest in tropical areas, such as Africa near the equator. This is why Prisca found patients from DRC, Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia alongside Griffin at Charlotte Maxeke Johannesburg Academic Hospital.

It’s a genetic disease, and both parents need to be carriers for a child to develop the disease. (If you get the sickle cell gene from just one parent, you are a carrier, but you won’t develop the disease. But you will need to be aware when you plan to have children that you could pass it on if your partner also carries the gene.)

Sickle cell disease, also called sickle cell anaemia, is caused by fragile, sickle-shaped red blood cells, which can’t do their job of delivering oxygen to the body well. They die early, and so they can obstruct healthy blood flow and cause problems with circulation. Symptoms of sickle cell disease are severe pain in the joints, chest, legs and back, moving on to: • Paleness • Fatigue • Rapid heartbeat • Jaundice • Shortness of breath • Abdominal pain attacks • Poor vision • Swelling and more serious conditions should the sickle cell crisis become extreme.