September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month, and to raise awareness our wonderful Sickle Cell Team, parents and consultants has been spending the day speaking about Sickle Cell Disease (SCD).
Did You Know?
1. #SCD is inherited from both parents; sickle cell trait is inherited from one parent.
2. SCD can affect anyone, although it predominantly affects people from African and Caribbean backgrounds.
3. Approximately 1 in 79 babies born in the UK carry sickle cell trait.
4. Approximately 15,000 people in the UK have sickle cell disorder.
5. Almost 300 babies are born in the UK with sickle cell each year.
6. A simple blood test will tell whether you have sickle cell trait or the disorder.
7. Children with SCD are at increased risk for stroke, the risk is highest between the ages of 2 and 16.
8. Episodes of pain may occur in sickle cell disorder and are generally referred to as a crisis.
Sickle cell disease is the name for a group of inherited health conditions that affect the red blood cells. The most serious type is called sickle cell anaemia.
People with sickle cell disease produce unusually shaped red blood cells that can cause problems because they do not live as long as healthy blood cells and can block blood vessels. Sickle cell disease is a serious and lifelong health condition, although treatment can help manage many of the symptoms.
If you would like to learn more about SCD visit: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/sickle-cell-disease/