Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a serious lifelong condition. If you have SCD, it’s important to learn how to stay as healthy as possible. It affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States and millions worldwide. People who have sickle cell disease usually have mild to moderate anemia. Stroke or silent brain injury. At times, however, they can have severe anemia, which is life-threatening. These therapies are allowing people with sickle cell disease to live longer lives with fewer complications. Starting penicillin twice a day for the first five years of life has changed the course of this condition from something only seen in children into a condition people live into adulthood with., There is more than pain medication for treating sickle cell disease. 30% Growth in the number of people with SCD expected globally by 2050. This leads to a rigid, sickle-like shape under certain circumstances. Sickle cell disease is not contagious like a cold. Read our, Medically reviewed by Douglas A. Nelson, MD, Medically reviewed by Rochelle Collins, DO, Medically reviewed by Johnstone M. Kim, MD, Benjamin Van Der Spek/EyeEm/Creative RF/Getty Images, Blend Images - Jose Luis Pelaez Inc/Creative RF/Getty Images, Sickle-Cell Disease—Types, Symptoms, and Treatment. Sickle cell anemia occurs among about 1 out of every 500 Black or African-American births. Treatment options are different for each person depending on their symptoms. Gong L, Parikh S, Rosenthal PJ, Greenhouse B. Biochemical and immunological mechanisms by which sickle cell trait protects against malaria. Because of this risk, physicians who treat children with sickle cell disease use an ultrasound of the brain to screen and determine who is at highest risk of stroke and start treatment to prevent this complication.. CDC twenty four seven. It occurs when a child receives two sickle cell genes—one from each parent. This disease occurs among about 1 out of every 36,000 Hispanic births. This is part of the newborn screen performed shortly after birth. Identifying children with sickle cell disease in infancy can prevent serious complications. Today, blood transfusions and a medicine called hydroxyurea are changing the lives of people with sickle cell.. Linking to a non-federal website does not constitute an endorsement by CDC or any of its employees of the sponsors or the information and products presented on the website. 1. In the U.S. it occurs in about one out of every 365 African-American births and more rarely in Hispanic-American births. If sickle cell traits are included in the statistics, then 1 in 12 Blacks and African-Americans are born with the disease. There is no single best treatment for all people with sickle cell disease. Prevalence of sickle cell trait varies greatly between different regions but reaches levels as high as 40 percent in some areas of sub-Saharan Africa, eastern Saudi Arabia, and central India. Get Screened for Sickle Cell Trait. The incidence estimate for Hispanic ethnicity (within 13 states) was 6.9 cases per 1,000 Hispanic newborns. An Inherited Disease. CDC is not responsible for Section 508 compliance (accessibility) on other federal or private website. Blood Disorders That Lead to Stroke: Is Hemophilia One of Them? Statistics on Worldwide Sickle Cell Anemia. People with sickle cell disease are at increased risk of serious bacterial infections. What Medical Conditions Affect the Spleen? Why Should I Care About Sickle Cell Trait If It Isn't a Disease? Estimates were corrected for early mortality for sickle cell anemia using data from the CDC's Compressed Mortality Report and published patient-cohort survival information. Saving Lives, Protecting People, 5 Facts You Should Know About Sickle Cell Disease, National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. In the coming years, gene therapy looks like a promising treatment. Multiple research studies are ongoing to find additional treatment options. Amber Yates, MD, is a board-certified pediatric hematologist and a practicing physician at Baylor College of Medicine. People are either born with it or they are not. It affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States and millions worldwide.. This is because sickle cell trait can protect a person from becoming infected with malaria.. SCD occurs among about 1 out of every 365 Black or African-American births. Severe anemia. Although all people with sickle cell disease are at risk for stroke, children with sickle cell disease have a much higher risk than the children without sickle cell disease. If you or your family member has sickle cell disease, it is important to have regular follow-up with a physician to ensure up to date care is provided. If you are born with sickle cell disease both of your parents have sickle cell trait (or one parent with sickle cell trait and the other with another hemoglobin trait).. Malar J. Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Unlike sickle cell disease, a serious illness in which patients have two genes that cause the production of abnormal hemoglobin (the substance in red blood cells that helps carry oxygen), individuals with sickle cell trait carry only one defective gene and typically live normal lives. Because of this fact, all babies born in the United States are tested for this condition., Sickle cell disease is not contagious like a cold. Because sickle cell disease occurs in the blood, every organ in the body can be affected. 2013;12:317. doi:10.1186/1475-2875-12-317, 10 Things You Should Know About Sickle Cell Disease, Ⓒ 2020 About, Inc. (Dotdash) — All rights reserved. Sickle cell anemia is a disease caused by the genetic inheritance of mutated alleles responsible for the condition.