Symptoms

          Just like any other disease or even the common cold, an affected person has symptoms. Sickle Cell Anemia is not contagious, meaning, you cannot “catch’’ it from another person or pass it on like the common cold or another type of infection. To be diagnosed with sickle cell anemia, a person must have genes inherited from both parents. A child with only one gene will not develop the disease, but will be a carrier for the trait and could pass it on to future offspring. Since people with the sickle cell trait don’t have the disease, they may never know that they are a carrier for the gene. Today, it is recommended that teens who not aware of their status should ask their doctors about testing. The National Institutes of Health (NIH) suggests that all infants should be screened for sickle cell anemia. Testing at birth is now mandatory in every state. Doing this, helps infants with sickle cell anemia get the help and therapy they need immediately.

          Luckily, Brandon, my family and I all got tested. We now know that my mother is a carrier because her grandmother was a carrier, my father is not affected or a carrier but his grandfather had it, my older sister and I are carriers, and my brother is the only one in my family that has sickle cell anemia.

          The symptoms for sickle cell anemia do not usually begin until a child is four months old. A common symptom of sickle cell anemia is to have pain crises (bouts). The pain crises vary how long they last and how severe they are. The pain crises can happen once a year, or several times a year, or just a few days or weeks, it is possible for them to last for a few hours. They are moments of severe pain in the chest (lungs), stomach, arms, and legs or other parts of the body. Symptoms can occur in any body organ or tissue and can make you feel very achy. These pain crises happen because of the sickle shaped red blood cell that block off the blood flow through tiny blood vessels. If the pain becomes too intense it is possible to require hospital treatment. Another common symptom is feeling very tired an having difficulty fighting off infections; these two symptoms are very common with teens. Teens that are affected by sickle cell anemia may grow slower than others and reach puberty at a later age then healthy teens would.