Sickle Cell free essay sample

Sickle cell disease is present usually in those of African or Mediterranean descent (Saladin 2007). About 1. 3% of African Americans have sickle cell (Saladin, 2007). Sickle cell was originated in Africa where malaria was killing a vast number of people (Saladin, 2007). The sickle cell hemoglobin is not able to be digested by the parasites that cause malaria, making those with sickle cell resistant to malaria (Saladin, 2007). This paper will discuss a normal erythrocyte compared to an erythrocyte affected with sickle cell. It will also talk about how to diagnose sickle cell disease. Erythrocytes are the most common element of blood, and they are formed in red bone marrow (Saladin 2007). Erythrocyte production is called erythropoiesis, and a typical cell lives for an average of 120 days (Saladin, 2007). Erythrocytes, better known as red blood cells, have two very important basic functions: to pick up oxygen from lungs and deliver to body, and to get carbon dioxide from the body and bring it to the lungs (Saladin, 2007). We will write a custom essay sample on Sickle Cell or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Red blood cells are circular with a sunken center (Saladin 2007). They are about 7. micrometers in diameter, and 2 micrometers at the rim (Saladin, 2007). Red blood cells differ from most cells in that they lose almost all organelles during development, including a nucleus and mitochondria (Saladin, 2007). Without mitochondria, red blood cells depend on anaerobic fermentation to produce energy (Saladin, 2007). Without a nucleus and DNA, red blood cells are also unable to perform protein synthesis and mitosis (Saladin, 2007). Glycoproteins and glycolipids are located on the plasma membrane of a mature red blood cell to establish the blood type of a person (Saladin, 2007). RBC’s get their sturdiness and flexibility from two cytoskeletal proteins located on the inner surface of the cell (Saladin, 2007). The red blood cells need these traits to pass through small blood capillaries and sinusoids, many of which are thinner than RBCs, and return to normal shape (Saladin, 2007). RBC’s get their red pigment from hemoglobin in the cytoplasm (Saladin, 2007). Hemoglobin contains four protein chains called globins, and two alpha and two beta chains (Saladin, 2007). Each chain is conjugated with heme group, which is what oxygen binds to in the center, up to four molecules of oxygen at a time (Saladin, 2007). Sickle cell disease is a disorder caused by a recessive allele that changes the construction of hemoglobin (Saladin, 2007). The difference from sickle cell hemoglobin (HbS) and normal hemoglobin (HbA) is in the sixth amino acid of the beta chain (Saladin, 2007). Those who are homozygous for HbS exhibit sickle cell disease and those who are heterozygous for it have sickle cell trait but usually do not have severe symptoms (Saladin, 2007). If two carriers have children then the children have a 25% chance of having the disease (Saladin, 2007). A child who has sickle cell has a very small chance of surviving past the age of two years (Saladin, 2007). Even with the best of treatments, those with the disease usually do not live past the age of fifty years (Saladin, 2007). HbS does not bind oxygen very efficiently, and with low oxygen concentrations red blood cells become deoxygenated, polymerize, and they form a gel that causes them to become elongated and pointed at the ends (Saladin, 2007). Diseased red blood cells agglutinate and obstruct small blood vessels that cause intense pain in the tissues lacking oxygen (Saladin, 2007). These blockages may also lead to heart or kidney failure, rheumatism, stroke, or cause the victim to become paralyzed (Saladin, 2007). One of the tests for diagnosing sickle cell is the mechanical instability test (Yang et al. , 1992). This technique is executed by adding a concentrated solution of red blood cells into a tube with 0. 01 M sodium phosphate buffer (Yang et al. , 1992). The tube is then shaken or vertexed for a small amount time, where it is then examined for turbidity, representing the existence of HbS (Yang et al. , 1992). In conclusion, sickle cell disease is a deformation of red blood cells. It causes blockage of blood vessels. It affects mostly those of African or Mediterranean descent. This disease is hereditary and is not contagious.