Disease of the month: Sickle cell disease

Sickle cell disease - or sickle cell anaemia - is an inherited blood condition that causes a disturbance in the production of haemoglobin, which carries oxygen around the body. The haemoglobin cells are malformed and have a ‘sickle' type shape - in other words they are shaped like a ‘c' - rather than being rounded as in normal cell production. These malformed sickle cells are very fragile and prone to a high incidence of rupture. This, in turn, leads to anaemia due to the lack of red blood cells. The abnormal blood cells can also cause blockages in blood vessels leading to tissue and org...