blood cells in sickle cell anemia compared with healthy red blood cells
Healthy human red blood cells (left) compared with red blood cells from a person with sickle cell anemia (right).
sickle cell anemia
pathology
sickle cell anemia, hereditary disease that destroys red blood cells by causing them to take on a rigid “sickle” shape. The disease is characterized by many of the symptoms of chronic anemia (fatigue, pale skin, and shortness of breath) as well as susceptibility to infection, jaundice and other eye problems, delayed growth, and episodic crises of severe pain in the abdomen, bones, or muscles. Sickle cell anemia occurs mainly in persons of African descent. The...