need help with sickle cell anemia

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Im writing a research paper and have hit a mental roadblock. :banghead: My topic is Sickle cell anemia and I'm really confused about sickle cell anemia vs. sickle cell disease.

Is it possible for a person to have sickle cell disease without suffering from sickle cell anemia specifically? I cant find anything that talks about this, In theory, I was thinking if the erythrocytes were kept oxygenated (which is the basis for alot of the interventions I've read) and did not sickle, would it be possible to avoid anemia and many of the other complications associated with sickle cell disease, but still have the disease.

Another question, which is kind of tied to the first, is what type of tests are used to diagnose sickle cell anemia? So far I found CBC, hemoglobin electrophoresis, and sickledex test. But I think the CBC would be diagnosing sickle cell anemia and the other two would be diagnosis sickle cell disease if it is possible to have one and not the other. Please Help!:crash_com

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Specializes in med/surg, telemetry, IV therapy, mgmt.

Sickle cell disease actually refers to a group of sickle cell disorders which include sickle cell anemia, sickle cell-thalassemia and sickle cell-hemoglobin C disease. So, the answer to your first question is yes. A person can have sickle cell disease but not have sickle cell anemia. The answer to your second question is that yes, if the erythrocytes of a person with sickle cell disease are kept oxygenated they can be prevented from sickling. The more sickling, the more anemia. The degree of sickling is dependent on the percentage of hemoglobin S the person has. The higher that percentage of hemoglobin S, the greater amount of sickling that will occur. The problems caused by sickle cell diseases is pretty much closely tied to the amount of sickling that is present. Hemoglobin electrophoresis which will identify the presence of Hemoglobin S in an individual is the diagnostic test used in the case of sickle cell disease. Sickle cell disease is also diagnosed through genetic testing. These would be the two definitive tests to confirm the disease. While other lab tests can be performed, they are not definitive tests in diagnosing sickle cell disease. They will only help evaluate the extent of conditions existing along with the sickle cell complication the patient might be experiencing.

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Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.

Sickle cell disease is the underlying condition, caused by an inherited defect in the hemoglobin. Sickle cell can be a relatively mild disease or a severe, recurring, debilitating disease. Hemolytic anemia is only one symptom of the disease. Other symptoms can be splenic sequestration, aplastic crisis, acute chest syndrome, and stroke.

A person with sickle-cell disease should avoid anything that reduces the amount of oxygen in the blood (such as vigorous exercise, mountain climbing, flying at high altitudes, an illness or infection, or dehydration). These environmental conditions may bring on a sickle cell "crisis," in which the defective hemoglobin becomes sickle-shaped, breaks apart, and blocks blood flow in the smaller vessels. This in turn will cause damage to organs, eyes, and bones.

http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec14/ch172/ch172g.html

http://familydoctor.org/550.xml

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Thank you for your help Daytonite and Vicky RN.:)

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Specializes in Education, FP, LNC, Forensics, ED, OB.

Something else to consider is Sickle Cell Trait.

Try this link for this clarification:

http://www.acsm.org/pdf/SICKLE.pdf#search='sickle%20cell%20trait'

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