If both copies of the haemoglobin gene carry instructions to make sickle haemoglobin then this will be the only type of haemoglobin they can make and sickled cells can occur. They do however have to be careful when doing things where there is less oxygen than normal such as scuba diving, activities at high altitude and under general anaesthetics. This means that this person has enough normal haemoglobin in their red blood cells to keep the cells flexible and they don’t have the symptoms of the sickle cell disorders. If one of these genes carries the instructions to make sickle haemoglobin (HbS) and the other carries the instructions to make normal haemoglobin (HbA) then the person has Sickle Cell Trait and is a carrier of the sickle haemoglobin gene. This in turn can lead to severe pain and damage to organs.Įveryone has two copies of the gene for haemoglobin one from their mother and one from their father. This can lead to these small blood vessels getting blocked which then stops the oxygen from getting through to where it is needed. Normal red blood cells can bend and flex easily.Blocked blood vesselsīecause of their shape, sickled red blood cells can’t squeeze through small blood vessels as easily as the almost donut-shaped normal cells. When sickle haemoglobin gives up its oxygen to the tissues, it sticks together to form long rods inside the red blood cells making these cells rigid and sickle-shaped. People with Sickle Cell Anaemia have Sickle haemoglobin (HbS) which is different from the normal haemoglobin (HbA). The function of haemoglobin is to carry oxygen from the lungs to all parts of the body. The disorder affects the red blood cells which contain a special protein called haemoglobin (Hb for short). This page will give you a brief guide to Sickle Cell Disorders and provide links to more detailed information for different groups of users.
0 kommentar(er)
