Blood tests can help in determining any number of abnormalities, and in this case the test shows that the patient's hemoglobin and red blood cell counts (RBC) were both abnormal. Of course, it is a well-known fact that "when used properly, RBC morphology can be a key tool for laboratory hematology professionals to recommend appropriate clinical and laboratory follow-up and to select the best tests for definitive diagnosis" (Ford, 2013, p
Oxygen, fluids and possibly even iron should be given to the patient while still at medical facility. One recent study determined that "intravenous iron may help to alleviate symptoms in patients" (Kansagara, Dyer, Englander, Rongwei, Freeman, Kagen, 2013, p
In Africa and India, the frequencies of the disease and carriers are even higher de to protection against malaria that occurred for people with sickle cell trait discussed later in this paper. Beta globin is a major component of adult hemoglobin and its gene is located on chromosome 11 with more than 475 allelic variants (Ashley-Koch, Yang, and Olney, 2000)
In extreme cases, balancing selection can maintain alleles in populations long enough for speciation to occur. The mutation that produces sickle hemoglobin occurs spontaneously at a low rate (Fields, 2000)
The disease is caused by a change in a single amino acid difference in the beta chain of hemoglobin. (Malaria, sickle cell anemia, and balancing selection)
Mostly people from Africa or other coutries around the Mediterraean Sea get it. In the United States, African-Americans are most likely to have it (Howard, 1995)
" Having the trait rarely makes any problems, but makes it much less likely that the person can catch malaria, a blood disease spread by mosquitoes. Malaria is common in Africa, and those who had the sickle cell trait had good protection from this serious disease (Loupe, 199)
It is currently believed that around two and a half million African-Americans are carriers of the gene, many without being aware. This results in around one in every five hundred African-Americans developing sickle cell anemia (Chowning, 2000)
It is possible that the parents may need to be tested also in order to establish whether the homozygous or heterozygous condition was present (Weatherall, 1997). Prenatal diagnosis in the first trimester is now also possible for the disease, by analyzing fetal DNA obtained through chorionic villous biopsy; there is currently research towards diagnosis from cells taken from maternal circulation in order to minimize the risks to the fetus associated with fetal DNA collection (Frenette and Atweh, 2007)
Inherited diseases of hemoglobin are the most important, and these are termed hemoglobinopathies; it is into this category that sickle cell anemia falls. Sickle cell anemia has a genetic basis, and was the first genetic disease to be characterized at the molecular level (Ingram, 2004)
This occurs at position 6 on the ? chain, where glutamic acid is substituted by valine. Sickle cell anemia is a recessive disorder (Nagel, 2005), and so those with sickle cell anemia are homozygous for the mutation, producing mainly Hb S, with small amounts of Hb F
The exposure of sickle cells to acidic environments disrupts the internal environment of the cell, as it causes loss of potassium ions, resulting in dehydration of the cell. This may also alter the functions of the transport channels in the red blood cells, further reducing function (Steinberg, 2005)
The sickle cell mutation is one such disease which affects the ? chains. The sickle cell mutation results in a single amino acid substitution in the ? globin chain, which will result in the production of a different type of hemoglobin - Hb S (Weatherall, 1997)
Iron deficiency anemia is a preventable problem, especially among infants aged 12-24. Ample research shows that early detection via blood screening is the only sure way to test whether an infant has iron deficiency anemia or is at risk, because simply surveying the parental dietary history is not a good indicator (Bogen, Duggan, Dover, & Wilson 1999)
Anemia "Iron deficiency anemia is the most common form of anemia," (Brody 2008; "Iron Deficiency Anemia" n
Nutrition issues are generally interrelated. For instance, a "lack of interest in food may further compromise the child's intake of iron," (Marotz 2009, p
For this reason, iron-foritfied infant formulas are a preferable substitute for breast milk, if a substitute is required for medical reasons. Socio-economic factors are invariably implicated with iron deficiency anemia, with low-income families particularly at risk (Tympa-Psirropoulou, Vagenas, Dafni, Matala & Skopouli 2008; Marotz 2009)
, 2008). Iron deficiency has been shown to be the main cause of anemia in children in the second year of life (Bortolini & Vitolo, 2010)
However, most iron needed by children is provided through a nutritious diet including sources of vitamins B-12 and C, iron, and folic acid. Pregnant women, lactating women, and young children are populations most affected by anemia throughout the world (Gautam et al
Medications include a synthetic version of erythroprotein, which stimulates increased production of red blood cells (National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, 2010). A study investigating human erythroprotein treatment for anemic cancer patients demonstrated that this treatment resulted in significant improvement in energy level, ability to perform daily activities, and overall quality of life (Gupta et al