There is a dreadful disease in the world, known as sickle cell anemia. It was acknowledged by Africans in 1870's in Africa but the first sickle cell patient known was in Chicago in 1904. People with the disease have sickle shaped blood cells and develop anemia in most cases. Teens can develop jaundice, and just about all patients go through pain crises that are painful. Also, the cells break down faster than average cells, leading to infection risk. One advantage of sickle cell anemia is that they are usually malaria prone. There is no cure for sickle cell anemia. There are some treatments like taking vitamins and shots. The average life span of a male is 42 years and 48 years for a female. There are approximately 70,000 people with sickle cell anemia in the U.S. 1 in 500 black children develop it, and 1 in every 36,000 Hispanic children. It is caused when the genes on the short arm of the 11Th chromosome are mutated. It is a very terrible disease. I feel empathy for people with this disease and I hope that a cure is discovered. I think I learn more about this disease now.
For more information visit:
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sickle-cell_anemia
kidshealth.org/teen/diseases_conditions/genetic/sickle_cell_anemia.html
www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Sca/SCA_WhatIs.html